■y^%^/ >" ■<* 



«w .**^^ "-yJC*!-" .*^'V 




w -«m'.. X,^* ;mw-. ^•5- ^^ .■ 










, -#> 



'T'- 








It* <1u • • * \ > ■C . 'o , A * 




<J> 



'^^ ■'T'-'^^^' -^ 




• -^ At ^ V f ' * °-- o .0 






L.IKK OP 

WM.TECUMSEH SHERMAN. 

Late Retired General U. S. A. 



A GRAPHIC HISTOUY OF HIS CAREER IN WAR AND PEACE; HIS ROMANTIC YOtH'H, 

HIS STERN AND PATRIOTIC MANHOOD ; HIS CALM AND BEAUTIFUL 

OLD AGE; A MARVELLOUS MARCH FROM THE MOUN- 

TAINS OF TIME TO THE SEA OF ETERNITY. 



By W.nFLETCHER JOHNSON, 

Author of " Stanley'! Adventures in Africa," " History of the Johnstown Flood," " Li& oi 
Sitting Bull and History of the Indian Wars," etc., etc. 



Carefully Reviewed, Chapter by Chapter, and with an Introduction 
By MAJ. GEN. O. O. HOWARD, U. S. A. 



With Numerous Maps and Illustrations! 



E;DQE;>A<^OOD PUBLvISHINO CO^vlPANY. 

1891, 






Copyright 1891, by A. R. Keller, 



INTRODUCTION. 



The title of this work is hardly a fair index to the contents. 

The " Life of General Sherman," written with any reasonable 
detail so as to depict his formative period, the gradual develop- 
ment of his energies, the bulk of his achievements and the great 
consumation of his genius, could not be contained in any three 
volumes of this size. 

The work, so far as the labor of the author, Mr. Johnson, is 
concerned, is eclectic, — mainly a compendium. 

There are beautiful sketches, choice pictorial presentations of 
Sherman and his environments from childhood to age. But, I do 
not think that the work, valuable as it undoubtedly is, could in 
any degree take the place of Sherman's Personal Memoirs. 

There are some chapters which have been furnished by war 
editorials and the writings of field correspondents which the 
author must have collected and carefully preserved. 

Many of these are life-like, and bear the impress and the inspi- 
ration of the exciting events amid which they were composed. 

There are, furthermore, in this book, chapters which are in- 
geniously formed and elaborated by quotations from officers who 
were themselves part and parcel of the campaigns which they 
describe. 

To me, the author appears to have done exceedingly well, and 
has herein furnished a choice entertainment to his readers. 

The part undertaken by me, and to which I have strictly con- 
fined myself, has been to review the work, some of it already in 
proof type, and the remainder in manuscript, going over each 



INTRODUCTION, 

chapter with considerable care, and suggesting such changes as 
I thought the truth of history demanded. 

Where one has expressed an opinion and a quotation of that 
opinion appears, of course no change was admissable ; so that I 
am entirely unwilling to assume that such a quoted writer gave 
utterance to my own convictions. 

For example : different views are given of the fearful struggle 
during the first day of " Shiloh " at Pittsburgh Landing. A 
famous journalist takes General Sherman to task for want of 
epaulements, intrenchments, and other means of defence. He 
claims that Sherman and Grant were both surprised, as they had 
known for a week or more that the enemy was close by, and 
liable to attack. 

Certainly the ansv/er to this allegation, and it should be a very 
clear and decided answer, would be found in any completed 
history. Our troops had not yet, at that period of the war of 
the rebellion, made much use of intrenching tools. Grant and 
Sherman did not design to put their new troops into intrenched 
camps. 

They believed, and very justly, that it was next to impossible 
to handle them offensively, as we say, against the enemy. But 
they did have some cover. The woods, ravines, and general 
contour of the ground gave them protection, and it was in faith- 
ful use of this cover that during the battle-storm of the first day 
near Shiloh church, they were able to hold out till reinforce- 
ments came. 

This example will suggest others to the reader. Still, the 
phases presented by the different writers, from whom extracts 
are taken, afford a kaleidoscopic variety, interesting especially 
to those of us who lived at the time of the occurrences in question. 

Probably none of us can do more than our noble General 
Sherman, years ago, suggested. He said in substance: We 
who were involved in the controversies, the battles, and cam- 
paigns of the great war, are not the men to write the history. 
We are like witnesses in court. Each should give his own 



INTRODUCTION. 

testimony of what he saw and knew. Somebody else, will in 
the future, after passion and prejudice shall have subsided, rise 
up to make a search, a selection, a summation, and so the better 
evolve the true history. 

With regard to General Sherman and his career, in my judg- 
ment the more of truthful statements that are made the better. 
Let eye witnesses give all the evidence they can. 

In his heart was a love of truth, a ghenominal loyalty to his 
country, a fearless and prompt devotion to duty and markedly 
an absence of aught that was malicious. True, he resented 
wrong often with a fiery indignation, but he forgave a fault con- 
fessed with quick generosity. So that at Lancaster, Ohio; the 
home of his childhood, at West Point, N. Y., in Florida and 
South Carolina, where were his early army stations ; in California 
and Louisiana, where he made his civil record ; at all places 
during the war of four years, and at his headquarters, or upon 
extensive tours; as Commander, after the war, of a military 
division and finally of a whole army ; all his acts, all his orders, 
and all his writings v^^ill bear most careful inspection. They, if 
truthfully given, will furnish to our youth something for medita- 
tion, for instruction, for emulation. 

To whatever extent this little volume may contribute such 
quota, it will be a welcome guest to our people, North and South, 
East and West. 

O. O. HOWARD, 
Major- General U. S. Army. 

Governor's Island, N. Y. City, 
March igth, i8<pi. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

THE SHERMAN FAMILY. 

HoDorable Rank in the Mother Country — Early Migration to New Eng 
land — Settling in the Connecticut Valley — Playing an Important Part 
at Woodbury — Long Term of Public Service — The Stoddards — A Mili- 
tant Minister — Seeking New Fortunes in the West — An Early Ohio 
Judge — The Mother of Great Men ny 

CHAPTER II. 

BOYHOOD AND CADETSHIP. 

Why He Was Named Tecumseh — His Adoption by Mr. Ewing — Charac- 
ter in Boyhood — Work as a Surveyor — Appointment to a Cadetship — 
From Lancaster to West Point — "Old Hickory" — Letters to His Sweet- 
heart — A Youthful Philosopher — Character and Standing as a Cadet 29 

CHAPTER III. 

EARLY MILITARY DUTIES. 

Winding up the Seminole War — Comedy and Tragedy in the Florida 
Wilderness — The Capture of Coacoochee — Service at Fort Moultrie — 
Getting Acquainted with the See le of His Greatest Campaign — Seces- 
sion Talk — Outbreak of the Mexican War-^Rebuked for too Much Zeal 
— The Long Voyage to California — Arrival at Monterey 40 

CHAPTER IV. 

AMONG THE FORTY-NINERS. 

Days of Idleness at Monterey — Adam and Eve — Sunday Diversions — 
Who is Governor ? — General Fremont — The Discover)- of Gold and the 
Rush for the Mines — Domestic Economy of Ciimp Life — Ne^ro Fidelity 
— Back to the East — Marriage of Sheiman and Miss Ewing — How he 
Heard Webster's Speech — A Shady Travelling Companion — Entering 
and Quitting the Law 50 



CONTENTS. 
CHAPTER V. 

THE CRISIS OF A CAREER. 

Sherman in the Prime of Manhood — Great Events Approaching — How He 
Came to be a Schoolmaster — Organization of the Seminary — Political 
Talk — liis View on Slavery — The Campaign of i860 a-nd Election of 
Lincoln — Secession — Sherman's Prompt Decision to Stand by the Union 
— Resignation of His Principalship — Departure for the North — Fate of 
the Seminary 62 

CHAPTER VI. 

THE OUTBREAK OF THE WAR. 

The South Excited and Ready — The North Indifferent and Unprepared 
— Sherman's Interview with Lincoln — His Plain Talk to his Brother — 
Disgusted with the Politicians — A St. Louis Street Railroad President 
— War Talk in St. Louis — A Clerkship Declined — His Loyalty Doubted 
— Prophesying a Great Struggle — Bloodshed in St. Louis — Back to 
Washington — In Service at Last 75 

CHAPTER VII. 



" On to Richmond !" — Sherman's Brigade at Bull Run — Features cf Bat- 
tle — Sherman's Official Report — The Stampede Back to the Potomac — 
How Sherman Dealt with Mutineers — A Threat that the President 
Thought he would Execute — Re-organization and Promotion — General 
McClellan Assumes Command — Sherman's Frank Criticism and Un- 
comfortable Truth-Telling and Consequent Unpopularity 85 

CHAPTER VIII. 

SERVICE IN KENTUCKY. 

Serving Under Anderson — Critical Condition 01 the State — Seeking Help 
in Other States— A Visit to Fremont — That Famous Interview with 
Cameron — How the Story of Sherman's Insanity was Started — Attacks 
and Insults — Sherman's Official Correspondence — His Request for 
200,000 Men — An Extraordinary Newspaper Article — Sherman Trans- 
ferred to Missouri — Kalleck's Confidence in Him — Planning the Don- 
elson Campaign 99 



CONTENTS. 
CHAPTER IX. 

SHILOH. 
The Gloomy Winter of 1861-2 — Exultation over Donelson — The Advance 
up the Tennessee — Responsibility for the Encampment at Pittsburgh 
Landing — Controversies over the Battle — Varying Accounts — Sherman's 
Personal Heroism — Numher of Troops Engaged on Both Sides — Ser- 
vices of the Army of the Ohio — Loses of the two Armies 116 

CHAPTER X. 

OFFICIAL REPORTS ON SHILOH. 

Sherman's Own Story — How his Troops were Posted — The Attack — 
Troops in Disorder — Grant and Buell at the Bivouac — The Battle Re- 
sumed in the Morning — Death of General Johnston — Gallant Conduct 
of Individual Oflicers — Grant's Official Report — Special Mention of 
Sherman for his Gallantry as a Soldier and his Skill as a Commander. 124 

CHAPTER XL 

"agate's" story of SHILOH. 

The Situation Before the Battle — The First Skirmish — Plans of the Rebel 
Leaders — The Scene on Sunday Morning — Troops in Disorder — Analy- 
sis of the Situation — Faulty Disposition of the Federal Troops — Ar- 
rangement of Sherman's Division — The Rebel Plan of Attack — Sher- 
man's Old Friend Bragg among the Rebel Leaders I42 

CHAPTER XII. 

"agate's" story continued. 
The Battle of Sunday, April 6th — The Union Troops Surprised — An Army 
in Disorder — Sherman's Heroic Effort to Stem the Tide — McClernand's 
Share in the Battle — The Rebels Pressing their Advantage — The As- 
sault on Sherman's Left — Men too Brave to be Killed — Desperate Posi- 
:'»aE of the Union Army — Looking to the Gunboats for Aid — Three 
Desperate Charges Repulsed — Death of General Wallace 153 

CHAPTER XIII 
"agate's" story continued. 
The Close of Sunday's Fight — What had been Lost During the Day — Five 
Thousand Cowards on the River Bank — Opportune Arrival of General 
Buell — The Grand Attack and its Grand Repulse — Aid from the Gun- 
boats — The Night Between Two Battles— Desperate Preparations for 
the M orrow — G unboats on Gu ard Through the Darkness 1 72 



CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER XIV. 

" agate's" story concluded. 
The Work of Sunday Night — Landing of Buell's Troops — Effect of the 
Bombardment — Lack of System in the Union Army — Renewing the 
Battle — A Change of Tactics — Turning the Tide — Crittenden's Advance 
— The Advance at the Centre— A Grand Parade on the Field of War 
— Redeeming the Losses of Sunday — Facing the Louisiana Troops — 
Silencing the Battery — End of the Great Struggle 183 

CHAPTER XV. 

CORINTH. 

Halleck Takes the Field — Organization of the Army — Progress at a Snail's 
Pace — Sherman's Advance — The Flight of the Rebels — Sherman's 
Official Report — Congratulating the Troops — Beauregard's Address to 
his Soldiers — Some Accounts of Corinth — Abrupt Plnale of a Rebel 
Harangue 196 

CHAPTER XVL 

MEMPHIS, VICKSBURG AND ARKANSAS POST. 

Changes in Command — Restoring Order at Memphis — Sherman's Views 
of the Situation — Grant's Critical Position — Moving Against Pemberton 
— Meeting with Porter — The Expedition Against Vicksburg — Why it 
did not Succeed — The Surrender at Holly Springs — Sherman Removed 
from Command — The Capture of Arkansas Post — General McClernand, 219 

CHAPTER XVII. 

VICKSBURG. 
Co-operation of Grant and Porter — Grand Gulf and Sherman s Demonstra- 
tion on the Yazoo — The Advance on Vicksburg — Capture of Jackson — 
Gallant Assaults Upon the Works at Vicksburg — The Siege — Sherman 
Holding Johnston at Bay — Surrender of Vicksburg — Flight of Johnston 
— Importont Results of the Campaign — Sherman's Meed of Praise. 241 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

SOME WAR CORRESPONDENCE. 

Sherman's Characteristic Letters — Congratulations to Porter at Vicksburg 
— Views of t'ne Reorganization of the Army — The Conduct of the War 
and the Spirit of the South — Manners and Morals of the Soldiers — 
No Wanton Spoliaton of the Enemy's Property — The Heroic Cartridge 
Boy of Vicksburg , - C49 



CONTENTS. 
CHAPTER XIX. 

CHATTANOOGA. 

Darks Days in 1863 — A Sunburst of Victory — Sherman Leaves Vicksburg 
— Orders to his Troops — The March to Chattanooga — The Battle Above 
the Clouds — Sherman's Attack on Missionary Ridge — The Victory 
Complete — Pursuit of the Enemy — A Forced March to Rescue liSurnside 
— Sherman's Report — Views Concerning the Treatment of the Rebels 259 

CHAPTER XX. 

MERIDIAN. 
Freeing the Mississippi — A March of Destruction — Retreat of the Enemy 
— Polk's Flight from Meridian — Failure of Smith's Expedition — De- 
stroying Rebel Property — Confiscating a Chicken — Results of the Raid 
— Scenes Among the Liberated Negroes — The Red River Expedition, 2S6 

CHAPTER XXL 

THE BEGINNING OF THE END. 
Grant Made Lieutenant-General — Correspondence with Sherman — Their 
Memorable Interview — Planning a Scientific Campaign — General How- 
ard's Pen Picture of the Two Soldieri — Schofield, McPherson and 
Tl'.omas — Grant's Final Orders — Sherman's Army in Line — Strength 
of Johnston's Army — General Howard's Account of the Advance 298 

CHAPTER XXH. 

ATLANTA. 
The Turning of Rocky Face — Resaca — General Howard's Narrative — 
Adairsville — Crossing the Etowah — Sherman on Familiar Ground — 
Dealing with Breaches of Discipline — Allatoona Pass — The Siege and 
Turning of Kenesaw —Smyrna and Peach Tree — Hood Succeeds John- 
ston — Death of McPherson — Howard m Command of the Army of the 
Tennessee — Ezra Church — Operations around Atlanta — The Rush to 
Jonesboro — Capture of Atlanta 314 

CHAPTER XXHL 

PREPARING FOR THE MARCH. 

Congratulations and Rejoicings — Sherman's Address to his Army — Inci- 
dents of the Campaign — Appearance of Atlanta and its Environs — 
Hood's Northward March — How Corse Held the Fort — Sherman's Stern 
Work at Atlanta — Exchange of Prisoners — Organizing for the March to 
the Sea — Sketches of Howard and Slocum — Orders for the Campaign — 
Cutting off all Communication with the North — Atlanta in Ruin^ — 
Marching Toward to the Sea 338 



CONTENTS. 
CHAPTER XXIV. 

"MARCHTOG THROUGH GEORGIA." 

The " Lost Army" — Speculations, North and South, as to its Doings — 
Diary of an Officer — Keeping Thanksgiving Day — Howell Cobb's Plan- 
tation — The Negroes — A Quiant Philosopher — Strategy of the March — • 
Howard's Brilliant Advance — Investment of Savannah — Capture of 
Fort McAllister — Fall of Savannah 364 

CHAPTER XXV. 

SHERMAN'S STORY OF THE MARCH. 

The Soldier's Modest Narration of his Ardous Deeds — Why the March 
was Decided Upon — Operations around Savannah — Material Results of 
the Campaign — Handsome Tributes to the Officers and Men of his 
Army 394 

CHAPTER XXVI. 

THE CAROLINA CAMPAIGN. 

In the Cradle of Secession — The Occupation and Destruction of Columbia 
— Reprisals Against Wade Hampton ; Men — Arrival at Goldsboro — 
Summing up the Results of the Northward March — Work Accomplished 
by the Engineers 

CHAPTER XXVII. 

THE END OF THE WAR. 

Lincoln, Grant and Sherman at City Point — Surrender of Lee — Murder 
of Lincoln — Negotiations with Johnston — Stanton's Disapproval — An 
Outcry Against Sherman — The Grand Review — Sherman's Refusal to 
Shake Hands with Stanton — Farewell Address to the Army 407 

CHAPTER XXVIIL 

THE DUTIES OF PEACE. 

Aiding the Pacific Railroad — A Fool's Errand to Mexico — Political Intri- 
gues at Washington — The Tenure of Office Affair — Work Among the 
Indians — A Trip to Europe — The Belknap Scandal — Sherman's Speech 
on Military Honor — Travels in the Northwest — Yellowstone Park — 
Writing His Memoirs — Life in New York — Death of Mrs. Sherman, 449 



CONTENTS. 
CHAPTER XXIX. 

DEATH AND BURUL. 

A Fatal Cold — Lingering Between Hope and Fear — The Last Rally— 
The End of Life's Campaign — A Son's Sad Home-Coming — Prepara- 
tions for the Funeral — Public Tributes of Respect — The Military Parade 
ir. New York — Progress of the Funeral Train Across t'njs Country — 
Ceremonies at St. Louis — The Warrior's Last Encampment by the Side 
of his Loved Ones 474 

CHAPTER XXX, 



A National Outburst of Grief — The President's Message to Congress — 
The Senate's Memorial Resolutions — Senator Hawley's Eulogy — ^A 
Touching Tribute from a Southern Senator — Speeches by Senators who 
were also Soldiers — Eloquent Words from Lawrence Barrett — Judge 
Gresham Recalls Sherman's Prophetic Words — A Comparison Between 
Sherman and Lee — General Slocum's Reminiscences — Chauncey 
Depew on Sherman in Social Life 491 

CHAPTER XXXI. 

IN MEMORIAM. 

New York's Official Tribute— The Consolidated Stock Exchange— The 
Union League Club — The Republican County Committee — The Grand 
Army of the Republic — The Chamber of Commerce — Speech by the 
Hon. CarlSchurz — The Ohio Society — Brief Words from Many Friends, 512 

CHAPTER XXXII. 

TRAITS AND INCIDENTS. 

His Positive Refusal to be a Presidential Candidate — Remembering a 
California Drummer — Dealing with a Newspaper at Memphis — Sup- 
pressing Praise of Himself at Savannah — Confiscating Medicine — The 
Electorial Commission — His Love of Music— Excuses for Swearing — A 
Tril)ule to his Mother — An Incident at Yale — Expressions of Kind 
eeling Toward the South and Toward his Foes 537 



CONTENTS. 
CHAPTER XXXIIL 

REMINISCENCES. 

Life at the Fifth Avenue Hotel — Ex-President Hayes's Memories — Gen- 
eral Meigs's Tribute — Professor Howe on Sherman's School Days — A 
Visit to the Catskills — Sherman and Joe Johnston — Telling about Resaca 
— Thinking of the Sea — Marvellous Versatility — General Rosecrans's 
Reminiscences of Sherman at West Point 562 

CHAPTER XXXIV. 

SHERMAN'S OWN WORDS. 

Speech at a Clover Club Dinner — A Famous New England Society Dinner 
— Teaching Geography in Georgia — Speaking for the United States — 
Old Times in Ohio — At a Grand Army National Encampment — Why he 
did not March to Augusta — One of his Last Letters — A Story of Grant 
— Congratulations to President Harrison 587 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



General Wm. Tf.cumseh Sherman (frontispiece), Steel 

Mrs. General Sherman, 20 

Sherman's Birthplace, 37 

Sherman Entering U. S. Senate, 56 

'^Hon. John Sherman, 73 

''General John C, Fremont, 91 

General Thomas' Bivouac (after the first day's battle), 109 

Major-General O. O. Howard, 128 

Major-General Slocum, . . 145 

Lieutenant-General Sheridan, 164 

Major-General BuTTERFiELD, 181 

General John A. Logan, 200 

Grant's March upon Vicksburg, 217 

Admiral D. D, Porter, 236 

Battle OF Lookout Mountain, 253 

Sprague's Brigade protecting Sherman's Wagon 

Train at Decatur, 272 

Capturing their Headquarters, 289 

Major-General Schofield, 308 

Map of Atlanta Campaign 317 



LIST OF ILL USTRA TIONS. 

Death of General J. B, McPherson, 325 

Battle of Atlanta, 344 

Battle of Atlanta — the Contest of Bald Hill, 361 

A Bivouac Among the Georgia Pines, 3S0 

Map of Atlanta to Savannah, 388 

Sherman Sending his Last Telegram Before 

Cutting the Wires, 397 

Capturing the Flag, .416 

Camp of the Second Massachussets — City Hall, 

Atlanta, 433 

Battle of Ezra Church, July 28th, 1864, . . . .452 

The Road From McPhersonville, 469 

Army and Corps Commanders of the Army of the 

Tennessee, 488 

Head of the Procession Coming Down Broadway, 

New York City, 505 

The Catafalque Passing Fifty-seventh Street 

and Broadway, New York City, 524 

The Riderless Horse, 541 

General Lew\ Wallace, 559 

Sherman's Sentiments Approved, 578 



CHAPTER I. 

THE SHERMAN FAMILY. 

MoNORABLE Rank in the Mother Country — Early Migration to 
New England — Settling in the Connecticut Valley — Playing an 
Important Part at Woodbury — Long Term of Public Service — 
The Stoddards — A Military Minister— Seeking New Fortunes in 
THE West — An Early Ohio Judge — The Mother of Great Men. 

The artificial law of primogeniture has little effect upon 
the natural law of heredity. In nations where the family 
descent outranks all other personal or social considerations, 
degenerate sons — even first sons — of noble sires are often 
found, and famous families become extinct, or worse. In 
other nations, where descent is scorned, and the proud 
individualism of democracy prevails, hereditary genius 
appears, and families contribute to the service of society 
and of the State generation after generation of great men. 
Thus human nature vindicates its disregard of time and 
places, and establishes itseif as the one immutable factor 
in the life of the world, albeit changeful, capricious, and 
kaliedoscopic. 

In the United States no laws of entail or descent pre- 
vail. Yet scarcely elsewhere in the world, within two cen- 
turies and a-half, have tnere appeared so many striking 
instances of worth and greatness made hereditary. The 
names that lived at Plymouth and at Massachusetts Bay 
in the early sixteen hundreds, live now in the late eighteen 
hundreds, in old plantations, or in the greater and newer 



1 8 THE ENGLISH SHERMANS. 

England that has risen beyond the Appalachian ranges. 
With such a name this memoir has to deal. 

The name Sherman is not a common one in England, 
from which country the family migrated to America, but 
where it occurs in that country's annals it is mentioned 
with honor and respect. The will of Lord Stanley, Earl 
of Derby, dated May 23d, 152 1, bears the name of Sir 
Henry Sherman as one of its executors. In the time of 
Henry VHI. one William Sherman was invested with a 
knighthood. The Davy manuscripts relating to the County 
of Suffolk, which are to be found in the British Museum, 
contain much mention of the Shermans of Laxley, who 
were the direct progenitors of the American branch of the 
family. The direct line of the Laxley Shermans is re- 
corded as follows: Thomas Sherman, of Laxley; Thomas 
Sherman, 2d, of Laxley ; Thomas Sherman, 3d, gentleman, 
of Laxley and Stutson, and afterward of Ipswich ; John 
Sherman, son of Thomas Sherman 2d ; William Sherman, 
eldest son of John. This William Sherman was born in 
1588, and married Mary Lascelles, of Nottinghamshire. 
Their son, John Sherman, came to America in 1634, and 
settled at Watertown, Massachusetts. He took a promi- 
nent part in the military operations of the infant colony, 
and v/as known as Captain John Sherman ; by which title 
he is distinguished from his cousin John Sherman, who 
also lived at Watertown. This Captain John Sherman 
was the grandfather of Roger Sherman, famous in Ameri- 
can history as one of the chief signers of the Declaration 
of Independence. 

Two brothers, cousins of Captain Sherman, came to 
America at the same time with him in 1634. One of these 
was the Rev. John Sherman, already mentioned, who be- 
came famous throughout the New England colonies as the 



/ 







MRS. GENERAL SHERMAN. 



HISTOR V OF ANCIENT WOODS UR V. 21 

most eloquent preacher and most accomplished mathema- 
tician and astronomer of the day. The other was Samuel 
Sherman, the progenitor of the illustrious subject of this 
work. These two brothers soon removed from Watertown, 
Mass., to the Valley of the Connecticut, and thenceforward 
for several generations the family was conspicuously identi- 
fied with that colony. 

In Cothren's " History of Ancient Woodbury," much 
mention of Samuel Sherman is to be found. " The Court," 
says Cothren, " grants Mr. Samuel Sherman, Lieutenant 
Wm. Curtice, Ensign Joseph Judson, and John Minor, them- 
selves and associates, liberty to erect a plantation at Pom- 
perouge ; provided it does not prejudice any former grant 
to any other plantation or particular person ; provided any 
other honest inhabitants of Stratford have liberty to joyne 
with them in setleing there, and that they enterteine so 
many inhabitants as the place will conveniently enterteine, 
and that they setle there within the space of three years." 
Again, in. the same work, appears the following: "In 
October, 1675, Wm. Curtiss was appointed by the General 
Court captain of sixty men to be raised in Fairfield County, 
to serve in King Philip's war, with power to appoint his 
inferior officers. In May, 1676, when the people of Wood- 
bury were at Stratford, on account of this war, he and 
Mr. Samuel Sherman were appointed Commissioners for 
Stratford and Woodbury. Intimately associated with 
Captain Curtiss in all that related to the welfare of the 
new town, was the Hon. Samuel Sherman. He was, at 
the date of its settlement, undoubtedly the most distin- 
guished man connected with the enterprise. He was from 
Dedham, Essex County, England. He came to this 
country in 1634, and previous to the date of the new 
plantation, had been a leading man in the colony. TT, 



22 "IN THE GOOD OLD COLONY DAYS." 

had assisted in the settlement of several other towns in 
the colony, and now undertook the same for Woodbury." 
Samuel Sherman died in 1682, leaving a son, John 
Sherman, who became the leading man of Woodbury and 
one of the most conspicuous citizens of the colony. Be- 
ginning in 1684, he was for forty-four years an Associate 
County Court Judge ; for seventeen sessions a Repre- 
sentative in the Legislature ; for two terms Speaker of the 
Law House ; for twenty-five years Town Clerk ; and for 
nine years Judge of Probate for the District of Woodbury, 
beginning with the organization of that Court in 17 19. 
A direct descendant of John Sherman was Daniel Sherman, 
of whom it is recorded that on November 17th, 1774, he 
was Moderator of a great town meeting at Woodbury, held 
to take into consideration measures for carrying into effect 
the " Resolves of the late General Congress," and of the 
House of Representatives of Connecticut, one of which re- 
solves was to have no dealing with the "foes to ye Rights 
of British America." On September 19th, 177*5, another 
mass-meeting of the people of Woodbury was held, at 
which a "Committee of Inspection" was appointed, con- 
sisting of thirty members. The heads of this committee 
were Daniel Sherman and Gideon Stoddard, who held their 
places during the entire War of the Revolution. Again, 
at a similar meeting held on April 3d, 1777, Daniel 
Sherman was chosen Moderator and it was "Voted, that 
the selectmen in this town, for the time being, be a com- 
mittee, as is specified in the Resolve issued by his honor, 
the Governor and Committee of Safety, dated March the 
1 8th, 1777, to take care of such soldiers' Famelys as shall 
Inlist into the Continental army." This order was given 
by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Council 
of Safety, which Council was appointed annually by the 



DANIEL SHERMAN. 23 

Assembly and consisted of from nine to fourteen of the 
most distinguished men in the colony, whose duty it was 
to assist the Governor when the Assembly was not in ses- 
sion. Daniel Sherman represented Woodbury in this 
Council for four years, beginning in May, 1777 ; and 
another member of the Council was his kinsman, Roger 
Sherman. 

To quote again from Cothren's history : " Daniel Sher- 
man was perhaps the most distinguished man that had 
arisen in the town to his day. He was a descendant of 
Samuel Sherman, of Stratford, was a Justice of" the 
Quorum for twenty-five years, and Judge of the Litchfield 
County Court five years, from 1786. For sixteen years 
he was Probate Clerk for the District of Woodbury, and 
Judge of that District thirty-seven years. He represented 
his native town in the General Assembly sixty-five ses- 
sions. This was by far the longest period of time any one 
has ever represented the town. He was of commanding 
powers of mind, of sterHng integrity, and every way quali- 
fied for the various public trusts confided to his care. His 
son, Taylor Sherman, the fifth from Samuel, was married 
in 1787 to Elizabeth Stoddard, the great grand-daughter of 
the.parson who shot one Indian after church on Sunday 
and another before breakfast the next morning. He lived 
and died as a lawyer and judge in Norwalk, Connecticut. 
He was one of those who went West to arrange a treaty 
with the Indians in 1808, and the same year came to Ohio 
again to make a partition of the Fire Lands, He died in 
May, 1815, and his widow came to Ohio, and died in 
Mansfield, in 1848." 

The Stoddard family, which became closely allied with 
the Shermans, demand some notice here. Their American 
progenitor, Anthony Stoddard, came from the West of 



24 A FIGHTING PARSON 

England to Boston in 1638 or 1639. His first wife was 
Mary, daughter of the Hon. Samuel Downing, of Salem, 
and sister of Sir George, afterwards Lord George Down- 
ing. Solomon Stoddard, a son of Anthony, was graduated 
at Harvard College in 1662 and ten years later was settled 
as minister at Northhampton, Mass. His son, Anthony, 
was graduated at Harvard in 1697, and settled at Wood- 
bury, Conn. The first wife of this second Anthony Stod- 
dard was Prudence Wells, and his second, Mary Sherman. 
The great grand-daughter of Anthony Stoddard and 
Prudence Wells, Elizabeth Stoddard has already been 
mentioned as the wife of the Hon. Taylor Sherman, the 
grandfather of the subject of this work. 

Anthony Stoddard was for sixty years minister of the 
church at Woodbury, at the same time a successful lawyer 
and physician, and for forty years Clerk of Probate for the^ 
District of Woodbury. One Sabbath evening during the 
French and Indian war, it is related, while walking in his 
garden after the services at church, the Rev. Anthony 
Stoddard discovered an Indian skulking with hostile intent 
among the trees and bushes near by. Without seeming 
to notice the movements of the intruder, he managed to 
return to his house and obtain his gun. Going back to 
the garden he crept to within easy range, took careful aim 
and fired and the Indian fell dead. He then gave the 
alarm to his neighbors who barricaded themselves within 
their houses and kept guard for the night. The next 
morning Mr. Stoddard observed another Indian near his 
house, and shot and killed him also. 

Both the Shermans and Stoddards were strict Presby- 
terians, and of Mrs. Taylor Sherman (Elizabeth Stoddard) 
it is related that she could never be induced to enter a 
church of any other denomination. " She always made us 



JUDSE TAVLOR SWERMAN. 25" 

stand around," says one of her grand-chlldrerl. " Her 
will was law. I could coax mother to let me do as I 
pleased, but never grandmother." 

Judge Taylor Sherman, as already recorded, went to 
Ohio as a commissioner to survey and apportion the Fire 
Lands. The State of Connecticut ceded to the National 
Government in 1786 her claim to a part of the great 
western domain, but reserved a considerable district in 
what is now northern Ohio, which is even still known as 
the "Western Reserve." Half a million acres of this, 
known as the Fire Lands, and comprising the present 
counties of Huron and Erie, were to be divided among the 
people of Norwich, Norwalk, New London and other Con- 
necticut towns whose houses had been burned by Generals 
Arnold, Tryon and other British raiders, to indemnify them 
for their losses. Judge Taylor Sherman received two sec- 
tions of land in Ohio to pay him for his work as commis- 
sioner, and was much impressed by that country's prospects 
of future greatness. He, however, returned to Norwalk, 
where he died in 1815 ; after which the remainder of his 
family migrated to Ohio. His wife and daughter went to 
Mansfield, where the latter married Judge Parker ; one of 
his sons, Daniel, settled at Monroeville as a farmer ; and of 
the other son, Charles R. Sherman, some more extended' 
notice is necessary. 

Charles R. Sherman was born in 1790, and during his 
early life lived in Norwalk, Conn., of which place he was a 
conspicuous citizen. He was married to Mary Hoyt, a ra€m- 
ber of a numerous and influential family, who were {unong 
the first settlers of Norwalk. Mr. Sherman was admitted, 
to the bar in 18 10, and during the administration- of Presi- 
dent Monroe was appointed Collector of Internet Revenue. 
While he held this office two of his depu^jjfes defaulted 



26 LIFE AT LANCASTER. 

for large amounts, and as he was responsible for them, 
almost his entire fortune was taken to make good the loss. 
From this financial embarassment he never fully recovered ; 
but the incident had a most important effect upon the 
future history of the family, and indeed it is to this turn 
in affairs, apparently so disastrous, that the subsequent 
prosperity and greatness of the Shermans may be directly 
traced. 

Charles R. Sherman, being thus apparently ruined by 
his rascally subordinates, determined to seek new for- 
tunes in the Western country of which his father had given 
such a glowing account. He at first intended to settle at 
Zanesville, Ohio, but finally selected Lancaster, in Fair- 
field Count}'. Having established himself there as a 
lawyer, he returned to Norwalk for his wife, who mean- 
while had become the mother of their first-born, Charles 
Taylor Sherman. Then, in 1811, he and his wife set out 
on horseback for Ohio, he carrying their infant child on a 
pillow on the saddle before him. After a weary and peril- 
ous journey, largely through a wilderness, they reached 
the village of Lancaster and there made their new home. 
By lovers of curious co-incidences it will be observed with 
interest that Sir Henry Sherman, the first English Sher- 
man mentioned, was a resident of the County of Lancas- 
ter, England. 

Mr. Sherman rapidly rose to eminence in Ohio as a 
painstaking and trustworthy counsellor at law and a most 
eloquent and forcible advocate. He also maintained the 
reputation of his family for earnest and practical piety. It 
is told that, failing one Saturday night to reach the place 
where Court was to be held on Monday, he, in company 
with several other eminent lawyers, resolved, out of regard 
to the day of rest, to remain at the small town where they 



JUDGE SHERMAN'S DEATH. 2/ 

were over Sunday. There was no minister of the Gospel 
in that place, and so Mr Sherman, who was then Judge of 
the Supreme Court, was selected to preach a sermon and 
conduct other religious exercises, which he did with great 
acceptability. 

At the age ot thirty-five, Mr. Sherman was made by 
the Ohio Legislature a Judge of the Supreme Court. 
It was an honorable position, and offered prospect of a 
brilliant future. He did not occupy it long, however. 
While on the bench at Lebanon he was stricken with 
sudden illness, and died on June 24th, 1829, being then 
only forty-one years old. His salary had been small and 
he had been able to save almost nothing. His widow 
therefore, was left practically penniless, with eleven chil- 
dren to care for, the oldest eighteen years of age, and 
the youngest six weeks. This was a desperate situation 
indeed. But Mary Hoyt Sherman was not the woman 
to be daunted. She addressed herself to the training and 
education of her children with energy, patience and 
prayer, and was remarkably successful in her arduous 
work. From four of her children she was for a time 
partially separated in order that they might enjoy the ad- 
vantages offered to them by kind relatives and friends. 
Two of them were thus taken into the family of their 
aunt, Mrs. Parker, one into the family of the Hon. Thomas 
Ewing and one into the family of her kinsman, John Sher- 
man, a merchant of Mount Vernon, Ohio. The last men- 
tioned child was John Sherman, who has since become one 
of the foremost of American statesmen, while the ward of 
Mr. Ewing was William T. Sherman, whose famous career 
we are now about to consider. 

The Hoyt family were Episcopalians, but Mrs. Charles 
Sherman, on going to the West, found there no church of 



28 THE MO YT FA MIL Y 

thai denomination, and accordingly attached herself to the 
Presbyterian Church, of which her husband was a member, 
Later in life she had an opportunity to return to the Epis- 
copal Church, and remained in its communion until her 
death, in 1852. She was a woman of quiet and unobtru- 
sive, but most earnest piety. In manner she was courtly 
and affable, and in temper calm and placid. She had, 
however, a strong will and great energy. These latter 
traits were inherited by her illustrious sons, and indeed it 
is to her example, precepts and untiring labors that we 
must largely attribute their sterling characters, and the 
greit success which they have achieved in their widely 
dif/ >ring life works. 



CHAPTER II. 

BOYHOOD AND CADETSHIP. 

Why He Was Named Tecumseh — His Adoption by Mr. Ewing — Char- 
acter IN Boyhood — Work as a Surveyor — Appointment to a Cadet- 
ship — From Lancaster to West Point — " Old Hickory" — Letters to 
His Sweetheart — A Youthful Philosopher — Character and Stand- 
ing as a Cadet. 

William Tecumseh Sherman was the sixth of the eleven 
thildren of Judge Charles R. Sherman, and John Sherman, 
the great Senator and national financier, the eighth. It is 
related that the distinctive family names had been ex- 
hausted upon the first five children, and when the sixth was 
born, perplexity arose as to how he was to be christened. 
William was presently adopted, but the father was not 
satisfied with it alone. Another must be chosen, and it 
must be a warrior's name; for, said the Judge, "likely 
enough this little chap will be a fighter." Finally Judge 
Sherman determined to call his baby by the name of 
Tecumseh, the illustrious Shawnee warrior and statesman, 
who had been killed in battle some seven years before. 
This Indian chief was well-known in that part of 
Ohio, and had often saved the lives of settlers there 
and averted bloodshed by his wise counsels and peaceful 
influence, and it was in fact more because of these benign 
29 



30 CUMP IS THE SMAh'JEST. 

features than on account of his powers in war that 
Judge Sherman admired him and gave his name to the 
boy. 

Our hero was born at Lancaster, Ohio, on February 8th, 
1820, and was consequently nine years old when his father 
fell a victim to Asiatic cholera. Little is to be recorded 
of those early years. They were spent in the customary 
manner of childhood, modified in a measure by the breezy, 
vigorous life of the sparsely settled frontier community, 
and cherished tenderly by a fond father and mother. 
When the catastrophe of death broke the family circle, 
"Cump" was a merry, active, bright-eyed, red-haired boy, 
fonder of play than of work or study, but truthful and 
trustworthy beyond a doubt. 

And what now ? The members of the bar who had been 
associated with Judge Sherman saw clearly that the widow 
could not properly care for all those eleven children, and 
they felt that it would be a privilege to aid her. The fore- 
most of them, Thomas Ewing, a lawyer and statesman of 
national reputation, was quick to act, " I will adopt one 
of the boys," he said ; and forthwith he. proceeded to the 
stricken home and laid his offer before Mrs. Sherman. He 
was a distant relative as well as a warm friend of the fam- 
ily, and Mrs. Sherman, with mingled grief and joy, ac- 
cepted his proposition. But which boy should he take } 
" I must have the smartest of the lot," said Mr. Ewing. 
"Well," replied the mother, " come and look at them and 
take your pick." So they went out to where the children 
were at play, but Mr. Ewing was undecided. " They all 
look alike to me," he said. But the mother and her eldest 
daughter soon made the choice. "Take ' Cump,' Mr. Ew- 
ing," they said; "he's by far the smartest." So Mr. Ew- 
ing picked up the nine-years-old urchin from where he was 



A \OL>'.va E.xaixEER. 31 

playing on a sand bank, and look him away in his carriage 
to a new home. " He ever after treated me as his own 
son," wrote General Sherman of his adopted father in later 
years ; and indeed the boy soon won the hearts of all the 
Kwings, so that they loved him as much as though he 
belonged to them by birth instead of by adoption. 

For seven years thereafter "Cump" was a member of the 
Ewing household, and attended the local school at Lancas- 
ter. He ranked high in his classes and was generally re- 
garded as a promising boy. " There was nothing speci- 
ally remarkable about him," Mr. Ewing wrote in later 
years, "excepting that I never knew so young a boy who 
could do an errand so correctly and promptly as he did. 
He was transparently honest, faithful and reliable. Stud- 
ious and correct in his habits, his progress in education 
was steady and substantial." 

One other thing, however, is to be recorded of these 
years. Mr. Ewing had a pretty little daughter, named 
Nellie, who was "Gump's" favorite playmate and upon whom 
" Gump " untiringly lavished all the chivalric attention of 
his boyhood. She was his sister by adoption, but even in 
these early years the boy seemed to hope that one day she 
would be more than a sister to him. And when he left 
home, at the age of sixteen, his adieus to her were 
more tender and more reluctant than to all the others. 

One incident of his boyhood life deserves to be recorded. 
In 1 834 he was large and strong for his age, and fond of labor 
and adventure. Ganal construction was then being greatly 
pushed in Ohio, and it was planned to build one from the 
great Ohio Ganal at Garroll, eight milcb from Lancaster, 
and run down the Hocking Valley to Athens and thence to 
the Ohio River. A Mr. Garpenter, of Lancaster, had 
charge of the preliminary surveys, and recruited his force of 



32 APPOINTMENT TO iV£ST POINT. 

assistants from among the youth of that town. Young Sher- 
man was delighted at the opportunity for serious work and 
adventure, and rejoiced when he was chosen together with 
three other boys from his school. He was appointed a rod- 
man. They worked during the fall of 1834 and spring of 
1835, laying out two experimental lines for the canal, and 
each boy received half a dollar in silver for each day's 
work. This was the first money young Sherman ever earned. 
Mr. Ewing was now United States Senator, and had 
within his gift an appointment to a cadetship at West Point. 
During the fall of 1835 and spring of 1836, Sherman devoted 
himself chiefly to grammar, geography and mathematics, 
in which studies he would have to be examined to enter 
the Military Academy. In the spring of 1836 he received 
his appointment. Mrs. Ewing provided him with a liberal 
outfit of clothes, etc., and on May 20th he left Lancaster 
in a stage coach for Zanesville. There he took passage on 
a coach on the Great National Road. Three days later he 
reached Frederick, Maryland, whence there was a steam 
railroad to Washington. But he was afraid of this strange 
device, and continued his journey by coach. When he got 
to Washington he put up for the night at Gadsby's Hotel, 
and next morning hunted up Senator Ewing. The latter 
lived in a boarding house, and to that house young Sher- 
man removed at once, for the week which he was to spend 
at the Capitol. He saw more of Washington in that week 
than he ever saw in his many subsequent visits. " Old 
Hickory " Jackson was then President, and at the height of 
his fame. Sherman spent a full hour gazing at him with 
boyish awe through the picket fence that surrounded the 
White House grounds. Jackson was pacing up and down 
the gravel walks within. "He wore a cap," says Sherman, 
" and an overcoat so full that his form seemed smaller than 



THE JOURNEY TO WEST FOINT. 33 

I had expected. I also remember Postmaster-General 
Amos Kendall, Vice President Van Buren, Messrs. Cal- 
houn, Webster, Clay, Cass, Silas Wright," etc. 

From Washington he went by rail to Baltimore, thence 
by boat to Havre de Grace, by rail to Wilmington, Dela- 
ware, and by boat to Philadelphia. Thence by boat to 
Bordentown, New Jersey, by rail over the old Camden and 
Amboy railroad to Amboy, and by boat to New York. He 
spent a week with his uncle on Brooklyn Heights, and 
with another relative on White Street, New York, and 
then took passage on the steamboat" Cornelius Vanderbilt,' 
up the Hudson, to West Point, where he was duly entered 
as a cadet. West Point was not as large a school then 
as now. But the routine of military dicipline and instruc- 
tion was fully established, very much as it has remained 
ever since. Colonel R. E. De Russy was the Superinten- 
dent, and Major John Fowle, Commandant of Cadets. 
The chief members of the faculty were: Professors Mahan, 
engineering; Bartlett, natural philosophy ; Bailey, chem- 
istry ; Church, mathematics ; Weir, drawing ; and Berard, 
French. That was in June, 1836. In the summer of 1838 
he had a vacation of two months, which he gladly spent 
with the Ewings. With that exception, he was absent 
from Lancaster and present at West Point continuously 
until his graduation in June 1840. His scholastic career 
was not unlike that in the school at Lancaster. He stood 
high, but not highest, in his class. There were forty-two 
men in that class, Sherman ranked sixth. George H. 
Thomas was twelfth. Other members were R. S. Ewell, 
Stewart Van Vliet, Bushrod R. Johnson, George W. Getty, 
William Hays and Thomas Jordan. 

By far the most interesting feature of his cadet life was 
the correspondence he maintained with Miss Ellen Ewijng. 



34 LETTERS TO MISS EWING. 

More characteristic letters were never penned. Years 
afterward the stern War Secretcry, Stanton, perusing his 
vigorous letters from the front, declared that Sherman 
wrote as well as he fought. These earlier epistles were a 
fitting prelude to the more serious writings of after years. 
They were sprightly and vivacious, touched with humor, 
often eccentric, sometimes inclining to egotism, but always 
intensely earnest and decidedly vigorous. He was not as 
much a lover of "society" then as in his later life, for on one 
occasion he wrote : "We have two or three dancing parties 
each week, at which the gray bobtail is a sufficient recom- 
mendation for an introduction to any one. You can well 
conceive how the cadets have always had the reputation, 
and have still, here in the East, of being great gallants and 
ladies' men. God only knows how I will sustain that rep- 
utation." As he got nearer and nearer to the actual army, 
he was more and more impressed with the responsibilities 
that would be placed upon him, and he almost shrank 
from them. One day in 1839 he wrote of himself: "Bill 
is very much elated at the idea of getting free of West 
Point next June. He does not intend remaining in the 
army more than a year, then to resign and study law, prob- 
ably. No doubt vou admire this choice ; but to speak 
plainly and candidly, I would rather be a blacksmith. In- 
deed, the nearer we come to that dreadful epoch, gradua- 
tion day, the higher opinion I conceive of the duties and 
life of an officer of the United States Army, and the more 
confirmed in the wish of spending my Hfe in the service of 
my country. Think of that ! " 

The commonest topics in his letters, however, related to 
the practical details of life. "The last encampment," he 
once wrote, " taken all in all, I think was the most pleasant 
one I have ever spent, even to me, who did not participate 



COMMENTS ON CADET LIFE. 35 

in the dances and balls given every v^eek by the different 
classes ; besides the duties were of altogether a different 
nature from any previous ones, such as acting as officers 
upon guard and at artillery drills, practicing at target-firing 
with long twenty-fours and thirty-twos, mortars, howitzers, 
etc., as also cavalry exercise, which has been introduced 
this year." He was not slow in taking to the knack 
of command. "As to lording it over the plebs, to which 
you referred, I had only one, whom I made, of course, 
'tend to a pleb's duty, such as bringing water, policing the 
tent, cleaning my gun and accoutrements, and the like, and 
repaid in the usual and cheap coin — advice ; and since we 
have commenced studying, I make him 'bone,' and explain 
to him the difficult parts of algebra and the French gram- 
mar, since he is a good one and a fine fellow ; but should 
he not carry himself straight, I should have him ' found' in 
January and sent off, that being the usual way in such 
cases, and then take his bed, table and chair, to pay for the 
Christmas spree." 

Sherman had already learned to do his own thinking, in 
politics and other matters, and he was not at all back- 
ward in revealing that fact to his fair correspondent. 
He gravely discussed the most important National 
topics, and hesitated not to express radical and 
positive opinions. His foster-father, Mr. Ewing, was 
a Whig, but the bumptious cadet did not approve 
of that party. In the Presidential campaign of 1840, 
when Mr. Ewing was laboring hard for the election 
of William Henry Harrison, Sherman wrote to Miss 
Ewing : "You, no doubt, are not only firmly impressed, 
but absolutely certain, that General Harrison will be our 
next President. For my part, though, of course, but a 



36 PROFOUND PHILOSOPHIZING. 

'superficial observer,' I do not think there is the least 
hope of such a change, since his friends have thought 
proper to envelope his name with log-cabins, ginger-bread, 
hard-cider and such humbugging, the sole objeet of which 
plainly is to deceive and mislead his ignorant and pre- 
judiced, though honest, fellow citizens ; whilst his qualifi- 
cations, his honesty, his merits and services are merely 
alluded to ! " 

Nor was he overawed by the superior attainments of his 
instructors, and of the Examining Board. Rather did he 
seem to regard the " Board of Visitors " as subjects for him 
to examine and criticise. "There is but little doubt," he 
wrote, " of the Board being nearly as well selected as 
circumstances would admit of. Party seems to have had 
no influence whatever, and, for my part, I am very glad of 
it, I hope that our Army, Navy, and the Military 
Academy, may never be affected by the party rancor 
which has for some time past, and does now, §o materially 
injure other institutions." Again he wrote : "I presume 
you have seen the register of cadets for the last year, and 
remarked that I still maintain a good standing in my 
class ; and if it were not for that column of demerits it 
would still be better, for they are combined with pro- 
ficiency in study to make out the standing in general 
merit. In fact, this year, as well as the last, in studies 
alone, I have been among the stars — " meaning among 
the first five in the class. " I fear I have a difficult part 
to act for the next three years," he wrote, as graduation 
day approached, " because I am almost confident that your 
father's wishes and intentions will clash with my incli- 
nations. In the first place, I think he wishes me to strive 
and graduate in the Engineer Corps. This I can't do. 
Next to resign and become a civil engineer. . . , 



/ 



'|i,|i!;Mii i* 




HIS STANDING IN HIS CLASS. 39 

Whilst I propose and intend to go into the infantry, be 
stationed in the Far West, out of the reach of what is 
termed civihzation, and there remain as lonp^ as possible." 

In June, 1840, he received his diploma. The class had 
originally numbered more than one hunured, but had 
been reduced to forty-three. In reviewing, from the 
point of view of maturer years, his life at West Point, 
General Sherman wrote: "At the Academy I was not 
considered a good soldier, for at no time was I selected for 
any office, but remained a private throughout the whole 
four years. Then, as now, neatness in dress and form, 
with a strict conformity to the rules, were the qualifi- 
cations required for office, and I suppose I was found not 
to excel in any of these. In studies I always held a re- 
spectable reputation with the professors, and generally 
ranked among the best, especially in drawing, chemistry, 
mathematics and natural philosophy. My average de- 
merits, per arnum, were about one hundred and fifty, 
which reduced my final class standing from number four 
to number six." 

It is of interest to observe that Sherman's rank at West 
Point was higher than that ot Grant, who was gradu- 
ated three years later. Grant stood twenty-first in his 
class. In the details of engineering and of deportment, 
especially, Sherman surpassed his illustrious comrade. 
But from this fact no moral may profitably be drawn, 
except that of Mr. Toots, that such "grades" are of no 
consequence whatever. For many of those who far out- 
ranked both Grant and Sherman at the school, remained 
in after life unknown to fame. 



CHAPTER III. 

EARLY MILITARY DUTIES. 

Winding Up the Seminole War — Comedy and Tragedy in the Florida 
Wilderness — The Capture of Coacoochee — Service at Fort Moul- 
trie — Getting Acquainted with the scene of His Greatest Cam- 
paign — Secession Talk — Outbreak of the Mexican War — Rebuked 
FOR too Much Zeal — The Long Voyage to California — Arrival at 
Monterey. 

Immediately after his graduation at West Point, in June, 
1840, Sherman received the usual leave of absence of three 
months. He hastened back to Lancaster, eager to be with 
Miss Ewing again, and spent most of the furlough there, 
visitins: his relatives at Mansfield for a short time. Pres- 
ently he received an appointment and commission as Sec- 
ond Lieutenant in the Third Artillery, and was ordered to 
report for duty at Governor's Island, New York, at the end 
of September. On goingthither he was assigned by Major 
Justin Dimock, who commanded the recruiting rendezvous, 
to take charge of a company of recruits about to sail for 
Florida. Early in October this company, with three others, 
sailed for Savannah under command of Captain and Brevet 
Major Penrose. At Savannah they were transferred to a 
small steamer which took them by the inland route to St. 
Augustine, Florida. General Worth arrived at St. Au- 
40 



IN THE WILDERNESS. 4 1 

gustine at the same time with the Eighth Infantry, and 
General Zachary Taylor had then the chief command in 
Florida, with headquarters at Tampa. 

Sherman was now detached from the company of re- 
cruits, which belonged to the Second Infantry, and 
sent to join his own regiment at Fort Pierce, on the Indian 
River. He went thither by steamer and anchored off the 
bar of Indian River. A whale boat came out and took 
him and his baggage with the mails through the iurf over 
the bar, and into the mouth of Indian River Inlet. There 
he was transferred to a smaller boat and pulled Ihrough a 
channel among the Mangrove Islands. It was now night 
and thousands of pelicans and other birds were roused 
from their roosts on the islands, while the water about 
them swarmed with fish which could be seen in the phos- 
phoric wake of the boat. The pilot entertained Sherman 
with many stories of the Indian War, which was then in 
progress, and of hunting and fishing in the Florida wilder- 
ness. Thus they made their way up to Fort Pierce, which 
was situated on a sand bluff. There were six or seven log 
houses thatched with palmetto leaves, for the officers quar- 
ters, and large log barracks for the men. Sherman was at 
once assigned to service with Company A, commanded by 
Lieutenant Taylor. 

No Indian fighting was at this time in progress, so Sher- 
man spent a part of his time hunting, and fishing with the 
pilot who brought him up the river. Thus he learned the 
arts of shark spearing, trolling for red fish, and taking 
sheep's head and mullet, which were found there in great 
abundance. He also caught many green turtles in nets, 
these animals being so common that the soldiers actually 
grew tired of eating them and preferred salt beef. In No- 
vember, however, operations against th« Indians began. 



42 ROMANCE AT THE FORT. 

This work consisted chiefly in capturing scattered frag- 
ments of the Seminole tribe and sending them on to the 
Indian Territory. The expeditions were mostly made in 
boats, and there was seldom much fighting. One day, 
hovvever, several Indian warriors were killed. One of the 
soldiers, Sergeant Broderick, was so elated at his skill in 
shooting an Indian, that on returning to the post he got 
very drunk. While in this condition he became too atten- 
tive to the wife of one of his comrades, and the 
injured husband, a half-witted man, appealed to Lieuten- 
ant Taylor for protection. Taylor carelessly replied : 
" Haven't you got a musket } Can't you defend your own 
family ? " An hour later the husband actually did shoot 
and kill Broderick. For this he was arrested and sent to 
St. Augustine, Lieutenant Taylor and the pilot, Ashlock, 
going along as witnesses. 

About a month later, Ashlock re-appeared in his old boat 
with two uncommonly pretty women, aged about fourteen 
and eighteen respectively. They were sisters, and the 
elder was introduced as Mrs. Ashlock. The pilot had 
met and married her during the progress of the murder 
trial at St. Augustine. Soon after, Ashlock, leaving the 
ladies at the Fort, started back with the whale boat across 
the bar. In crossing the bar the boat was upset by the 
surf, and Ashlock and all his crew but one man were 
drowned, Ashlock himself, strangely enough, being unable 
to swim. The bereaved ladies were courteously cared for 
by the officers, and presently returned to St. Augustine. 
Sherman afterward met these ladies again at St. Augus- 
tine, and yet again he saw the younger one many years 
later at Charleston, South Carolina. She was then 
happily married to an army officer, who had a fad for 
inventing new guns, «tc., upon which Sherman did not 



CAPTURING CHIEF WILD CAT. 43 

look with much favor; he was bothered with too many- 
would-be geniuses. And thus ended this romance of the 
Florida wilderness. 

One day in the summer of 1841 a number of Indians 
came to the post accompanied by a negro named Joe, who 
spoke English, They said they had been sent in by the 
famous Seminole Chief, Coacoochee, or Wild Cat, and 
showed a passport signed by General Worth who had suc- 
ceeded General Taylor in supreme command at Tampa. 
They said that Coacoochee himself was close by and would 
come to the post "if it was all right." Major Childs said 
it was all right, and sent Sherman with eight or ten 
mounted men to accompany Joe, and one Indian, to bring 
in the great chief. Six or seven miles away they found 
Coacoochee, a handsome young Indian of twenty-five years, 
and a dozen other warriors, and invited them to go to the 
Fort. They had some little difficulty in persuading them 
to do so, but finally Coacoochee dressed himself in all his 
finery and went to the Fort. There he said he was tired 
of the war and wanted to go with his people to the Indian 
Territory, but he wanted rations for a month, which time 
it would take to get his people together for the journey. 
This was agreed to and then the great chief got gloriously 
drunk. A few days later he went away, but frequently 
sent back messengers for more whiskey and provisions. 
At the end of the month he was but little nearer ready to 
travel than before. 

A council was accordingly called, at which Coacoochee be- 
came drunk again. Then Sherman and some of his men 
put the whole party in irons, and they were promptly 
shipped off to the Indian Territory. Among Sherman's 
associates were Lieutenants Ransom, Ord, George H. 
Thomas, Field, and Van Vliet, all of whom afterward 
attained distinction 



44 SCENES A T FOR T PIERCE. 

Writing from Fort Pierce in 1841, Sherman gave this 
sketch of his existence there : "Books we have few, but it 
is no use — we cannot read any but the lightest trash ; and 
even the newspapers, which you would suppose we would 
devour, require a greater effort of mind to reach than we 
possess. We attribute it to the climate, and bring up these 
lazy native Minorcans as examples, and are satisfied. 
Yet, of course, we must do something, however little. 
The Major and I have a parcel of chickens in 
which we have, by competition, taken enough interest to 
take up a few minutes of the day ; besides I have a little 
fawn to play with, and crows, a crane, etc., and if you were 
to enter my room you would doubt whether it was the 
abode of man or beasts. In one corner is a hen, setting ; 
in another, some crows, roosted on bushes ; the other is a 
little bed of bushes for the little fawn ; whilst in the fourth 
is my bucket, washbasin, glass, etc. So you see it is three 
to one." Again : " I have yet more pets than any bache- 
lor in the country — innumerable chickens, tame pigeons, 
white rabbits and a full-blooded Indian pony — rather small 
matters for a man to deal with, you doubtless think, but it 
is far better to spend time in trifles, such as these, than in 
drinking or gambling." 

Life in Florida did not lessen his fancy for the Western 
frontier. " We hear that the new Secretary of War in- 
tends proposing to the next Congress to raise two rifle regi- 
ments for the Western service. As you are in Washing- 
ton I presume you can learn whether it is so or not, for I 
should like to go in such a regiment, if stationed in the Far 
West ; not that I am the least displeased with my present 
berth, but when the regiment goes North, it will, in all 
likelihood, be stationed in the vicinity of some city, from 
which, God spare me." Lieutenant Sherman prided him- 



SOCIAL SIDK oh A ^uJJJlER'S LIFE. 45 

self on his downright way of saying things, and in one of 
his letters he wrote : " If you have any regard for my 
feelings, don't say the word 'insinuation' again. You 
may abuse me as much as you please ; but I'd prefer, of 
the two, to be accused of telling a direct falsehood than 
stating anything evasively or underhand ; and if I have 
ever been guilty of such a thing it was unintentionally." 

On November 30th, 1841, Sherman was promoted to be 
First Lieutenant of Company G, and was ordered on duty 
at St. Augustine, which place he reached before Christ- 
mas. He had a pleasant time there, but in February he 
was sent on to Fort Morgan, Mobile Bay, Alabama. 
There he remained until June, when he was ordered to 
Charleston, South Carolina. There he remained at Fort 
Moultrie for nearly five years. His life there was one of 
strict garrison duty, with plenty of leisure for hunting and 
social entertainment. He formed many pleasant acquaint- 
ances in Charleston, especially among wealthy families, 
who spent the Summer on Sullivan's Island. 

His duties and pleasures, did not, however, alienate him 
from the sweetheart of his boyhood, for he kept up as fre- 
quent and interesting a correspondence with Miss Ewing 
as he had done at West Point. In the summer of 1843 he 
got a leave of absence for three months and spent that 
time with her at Lancaster. In November of that year he 
set out to return to Charleston by way of New Orleans. 
Part of the way he travelled with Henry Stanbery, after- 
ward Attorney General of the United States. At Cincin- 
nati he spent some time with his two brothers, who were 
employed in the Gazette printing ofBce. He spent a week 
at St. Louis, visiting the arsenal and Jefferson Barracks, 
and was much impressed with the future possibilities of the 
city, which then had only about 40,000 inhabitants. 



46 SCENE OF THE GREA T MARCH. 

So he returned to Charleston, and there he was a busy 
student, concerning himself -chiefly with observations 
of the country from a professional point of view. Says 
Mr, Reid in his "Ohio in the War": "Nothing could 
more strikingly exhibit the foundations of that won- 
derful knowledge of the topography and resources 
of the South which was afterwards to prove so 
valuable, than this scrap of a letter to Philemon Ewing: 
' Every day I feel 'more and more in need of an atlas, 
such as your father has at home ; and as the knowledge 
of geography, in its minutest details, is essential to a 
true military education, the idle time necessarily spent 
here might be properly devoted to it. I wish, therefore 
you would procure for me the best geography and atlas 
(not school) extant.' " Writing from Fort Moultrie he 
said : "Since my return I have not been running about in the 
city or the island, as heretofore, but have endeavored to<in- 
terest myself in Blackstone. I have read all four volumes, 
Starkie on 'Evidence,' and other books, semi-legal and 
semi-historical, and would be obliged if you vi^ould give 
me a list of such books as you were required to read, 
not including your local or State law. I intend to read 
the second and third volumes of 'Blackstone' again; also 
' Kent's Commentaries,' which seem, as far as I am capa- 
ble of judging, to be the basis of the common law prac- 
tice. This course of study I have adopted from feeling 
the want of it in the duties to which I was lately assigned. 
. . . I have no idea of makingthelawa professsion ; but 
as an officer of the army, it is my duty and interest to be pre- 
pared for any situation that fortune or luck may offer. It is for 
this alone that I prepare and not for professional practice. 

Soon after getting back to Charleston he was assigned 
to duty in the upper part of Georgia asnd Alabama, and 



IVAJ? JiUMORS. 47 

on this errand he travelled over the region in which, many 
years later, he conducted one of his greatest cami>aigns. 
Thus he acquired knowledge which was afterward of incal- 
culable value to him and to the National Government. 

In the winter of 1844-45, he was on a deer hunting expe- 
dition on the Carolina coast, and got his right arm thrown 
out of joint by an accident. Being thus disabled he got a 
leave of absence and went North, going as usual to the 
centre of attraction at Lancaster. In March he returned 
to Fort Moultrie, just at the time when Congress provided 
for the annexation of Texas and war with Mexico was 
expected. He remained at Fort Moultrie, however, fof 
some time longer. Charleston was then a proud, aristo- 
cratic city, and considered itself a most important place 
in the Union. There was already much talk about the 
right of secession and there were often angry controversies 
over the subject, even at the officers' own mess-tables. 
But Sherman at this time had no idea that such talk would 
ever go further than it had already gone in 1833-33, when 
" Nullification " was so promptly stamped out by President 
Jackson and General Scott. 

In the spring of 1846 Sherman was at Fort Moultrie, 
under the command of Captain, afterward General, Robert 
Anderson. Among other officers there at the time were 
Henry B. Judd, George B. Ayres, William Gates, Martin 
Burke, E. D. Keyes, T. W. Sherman, H. B. Field and Joseph 
Stewart. George H. Thomas and John F. Reynolds had 
already gone on to join General Taylor's army in Texas. 
In April, Sherman was sent to Governor's Island, New 
York, and thence to the recruiting station at Pittsburgh, 
Pennsylvania. Soon after this he received authority to 
open a recruiting station at Zanesville, Ohio, to his great 



4 8 OFF FOR A LONG VOYAGE. 

delight, for Lancaster and Miss Ewing were only thirty- 
six miles away. 

When news arrived of the battles of Palo Alto and Re- 
saca de la Palma he became much excited at the prospect 
of actual war and hurried back to Pittsburgh. There he 
found a letter from his friend Ord, then at Baltimore, say- 
ing that his company had just received orders to go to 
California and urging him to go also. Sherman at once 
wrote to the Adjutant-General, at Washington, D. C, ap- 
plying for active service. Then, in his impatience and 
without authority, he left a corporal in charge of his office 
and hastened to Cincinnati. There he reported to Col- 
onel Fanning, a veteran officer, and asked to be sent on to 
the front. But Fanning, instead of appreciating the young 
soldier's zeal, gave him a hearty scoring for leaving his 
post without orders, and told him to get back to Pittsburgh 
as quickly as he could. Sherman obeyed, but of course 
stopped off at Lancaster on the way. He arrived at Pitts- 
burgh late in June and found there awaiting him an order 
relieving him from the recruiting service and assigning 
him to Company F, then under orders for California. He 
made up his accounts, turned over the balance of cash to 
the physician, and in a few hours was on his way to New 
York where his company was already aboard ship and 
ready to sail for California by the way of Cape Horn. 

Sherman and his fellow officers went aboard on July 14th, 
1846, and set off on their long voyage. The "Lexington" 
was an old ship, formerly a sloop of war but now a store 
ship. Sherman and Ord roomed together. On the voyage 
they drilled the men as thoroughly as possible. They 
amused themselves with various games, but no gambling 
was allowed. On "crossing the line" a few of the 
greenhorns were put through the usual ceremonies, but 



SAIV THE EMPEROR AND HIS FAMIL Y. 49 

the officers were exempted. In sixty clays they reached 
Rio Janeiro, where they had a jolly time for a week. 
Sherman's companion in his rambles about town was Lieu- 
tenant, afterward General Halleck. They saw the Emperor 
and his family. Their first supper in the city was a sump- 
tuous meal and the bill footed up to 26,000 reis. This 
sum staggered them, until they found out that it meant 
only about $16. 

From Rio they proceeded to Cape Horn, which they 
rounded in very rough weather, and in sixty days reached 
Valparaiso, where they remained ten days. About the 
middle of January they neared the California coast, which 
they had to approach cautiously because no trustworthy 
charts were then in existence. They made their landing 
at Monterey, and there learned that the Californians had 
broken out into an insurrection, that the fleet under Com- 
modore Stockton was down the coast near San Diego, that 
General Kearney had been defeated in battle, and that the 
whole country was in a pretty bad plight. Accordingly 
they got their weapons into shape for immediate use and 
expected to begin fighting the moment they set foot on 
the shore. It was January 26th, 1847, when they dropped 
anchor in the bay of Monterey, after a voyage of one hun- 
dred and ninety-eight days from New York. 



CHAPTER IV. 

AMONG THE FORTY-NINERS. 

Days of Idleness at Monterey — Adam and Eve — Sunday Diver. 
SIGNS — Who is Governor? — General Fremont — The Discovery of 
Gold and the Rush for the Mines — Domestic Economy of Camp 
Life — Negro Fidelity — Back to the East — Marriage of Sherman 
and Miss Ewing — Hov^r he Heard Webster's Speech — A Shady 
Travelling Companion — Entering and Quitting the Law. 

The voyagers of the " Lexington " found Monterey a 
particularly peaceful and sleepy place, despite the war-like 
rumors that had greeted them, and Sherman was com- 
pelled to drop into a li-fe of dull routine in the Quarter- 
master's department. Monterey was inhabited by about 
a thousand persons, Americans, Spaniards, Mexicans and 
Indians, mixed. They were a kind and pleasant people, 
apparently with nothing to do. Horses and cattle were 
ridiculously cheap, and game of all kinds was abundant. 
Coffee, sugar and such supplies were, however, scarce and 
costly. The half dozen shops in the town were almost 
empty and seldom patronized, and the people spent 
their time mostly in riding, dancing and shows of all 
kinds. Every Sunday there was a grand ball, and Sherman 
pronounced the girls very graceful dancers. Soon after 
their arrival the officers were invited to witness a play 
called "Adam and Eve." "Eve was personated," says 
Sherman, " by a pretty young girl known as Dolores 
50 



RIVAL CLAIMANTS. 5 1 

Gomez, who, however, was dressed very unlike Eve, for 
she was covered with a petticoat and spangles. Adam 
was personated by her brother, who has since become 
somewhat famous. God Almighty was personated, and 
Heaven's occupants seemed very human." 

Sherman spent a month at Monterey, doing some rou- 
tine work, studying a little Spanish, and cultivating the 
acquaintance of the people. On one occasion he and Ord 
went on an excursion inland. They stayed over night at 
the house of Senor Gomez, father of the young people 
who had played Adam and Eve, and then rode to the 
old Mission of St. John the Baptist. It was Sunday, and 
th^y went to church, Ord's gorgeous uniform attracting 
much attention. .After church the priest tucked up his 
robes, and betook himself to playing billiards, while the 
rest were cock-fighting and horse racing. Sherman im- 
proved the opportunity to buy a splendid new horse. 

News soon came of the quarrel between General Kear- 
ney, Colonel Fremont and Commodore Stockton, as to 
the right of supreme authority on the coast. General 
Mason and Commodore Shubrick also laid claim to sup- 
reme control. So the young officers were asking, " Who 
the devil is Governor of California.-'" One day Sherman 
and the others were aboard the frigate " Independence " 
when General Kearney approached on board another .ship, 
the "Cyane." Kearney soon came aboard the "Inde- 
pendence," dressed in an old dragoon coat, and an armv 
cap to which he had added the broad visor cut from a full 
dress hat, to screen his face and eyes from the hot sun. 
As he was received by the officers on the " Independence" 
one of them exclaimed, " Fellows, the problem is solved; 

there is the Grand Vizier (Visor), ! He is Governor 

of California ! " And in fact Kearney and Shubrick at 



5 2 DISCO VER Y OF G OLD. 

that very meeting came to a most cordial understanding, 
Kearney being recognized as the supreme commander. 

Fremont still disputed Kearney's authority, however, 
and soon came down to Monterey. Sherman called on 
him and took tea with him, but, he says, " left without 
being much impressed." Kearney and Sherman after this 
went up to Los Angeles, to replace the authority which 
Fremont had set up there. The country was peaceful 
and Sherman's experiences and observations were pictur- 
esque rather than important. He also went up to Sonoma, 
and Yerba Buena, as San Francisco was then called. 

In the spring of 1848, Sherman went with Colonel 
Mason to Santa Barbara, where he had a good time hunt- 
ing deer and bear in the mountains, and ducks and geese 
on the Salinas Plains. In the course of a few hours he 
had shot as many geese and ducks as could be loaded 
on a mule's back. Sometimes he killed as many as nine 
with one discharge of his gun. 

At about this time one day two Americans came to the 
ofifice at Monterey to see the Governor (Mason). Their 
business was most important, for they brought specimens 
of placer gold which had just been found. Captain Sut- 
ter had found it in the tail-race of a saw mill he was 
building at Colma, and he wanted a title for his property. 
This was^the commencement of the gpld discoveries which 
revolutionized California and startled the world. Soon 
every one was talking of gold, and the excitement became 
feverish. Soldiers began to desert and rush to the mines. 
Sherman himself did not escape the infection, and soon 
convinced Colonel Mason that it was their duty to go and 
investigate the matter personally. So in June, 1848, 
Sherman set out with four soldiers, a negro servant and a 
number of horses and mulss. On reaching Sutter's place 



DISCO VER Y OF GOLD. 53 

he heard from Captain Sutter himself the story of the 
discovery of gold by Marshall, the workman who built the 
mill. As Marshall was working in the ditch which was 
to carry off the water, he saw some particles of yellow 
metal. He picked them up and the thought flashed into 
his mind that they were gold. He hurried to Captain 
Sutter and showed them to him. Sutter attached Httle 
importance to the discovery and told Marshall to go back 
to work and say nothing about it. But he at once sent 
the specimens down to Governor Mason. Marshall could 
not keep his secret, however, and soon the other men 
wanted to gather the gold. Marshall threatened to shoot 
them if they did so. Thereupon they went fifteen miles 
further down the stream, and they discovered one of the 
richest placer mines in the world. 

While Sherman was travelling about in the gold country 
his soldiers deserted him and all his followers, except the 
negro servant, and when he got back to Monterey he found 
the same state of demoralization there. Every one was 
crazy over gold. But in September, 1848, official news of 
the treaty of peace with Mexico reached them, and most 
of the soldiers were regularly mustered out. In Septem- 
ber and October, Sherman, Mason and others made a 
second visit to the mines, and during that fall Sherman, Ord 
and Warner camped on the bank of the American River, 
near Sutter's Fort. Sherman was cook, Ord washed the 
dishes and Warner looked after the horses. They soon dis- 
missed Ord from his position, however, because he would 
only wipe the tin plates with a tuft of grass, while Warner 
wanted them thoroughly washed with hot water. So Warner 
took to washing the dishes and Ord cared for the horses. 

General Persifer F. Smith came out to California in 
February, 1849 to take supreme command, arriving at 



54 LIFE A T SAN FRANCISCO. 

Monterey on the first steamship that reached that coast, 
Sherman became his Adjutant-General/ and went up to 
San Francisco with him. General Smith and his family had 
much trouble with their servants, who all deserted them 
for the gold mines excepting one little negro, named Isaac, 
who was cook, chambermaid and general man and maid of 
all work. Accordingly, domestic affairs were chaotic. 
Breakfast was announced at any time between ten and 
twelve, and dinner according to circumstances. " Many a 
time," says Sherman, "have I seen General Smith, with a 
can of preserved meat in his hands, going toward the 
house, take off his hat on meeting a negro, and on being 
asked the reason of his politeness, he would answer that 
they were the only real gentlemen in California." Indeed 
the fidelity of Isaac and of Colonel Mason's negro boy, at a 
time when white men laughed at promises as things made 
only to be broken, gave Sherman a kindly feeling of re- 
spect for negroes which he never lost. 

Having little official business on hand, Sherman and 
some of his comrades made a contract with Colonel J. B. 
Stevenson to survey his projected city of "New York of 
the Pacific " at the mouth of San Joaquin River and to 
mark out a channel through Suisun Bay. For this they 
were well paid, but the city never was built. After this 
Sherman surveyed a large ranch in Sacramento Valley 
and had some lively experiences with grizzly bears. All 
his earnings he invested in real estate at Sacramento, on 
which he made good profit. He was an interested wit- 
ness of the great rush of prospectors to the coast in 1849, 
of the organization of government under a State Consti- 
tution, the election of Fremont and Gwin as Senators, and 
all the picturesque scenes that the rising community in 
those days presented. 




SHERMAN ENTERING U. S. SENATE. 



AT NEW YORK AND WASHINGTON. 57 

In the fall of 1849 his friend Warner was surveying 
Feather River and its source, Goose Lake. While en- 
gaged in that work he was murdered by Indians, and 
Sherman was much shocked and grieved at the loss. It 
was impossible at that time to punish his murderers, and 
it was not until the next Spring that his scattered bones 
were found and buried. 

Sherman now became anxious to return to the East, 
chiefly, it is surmised, on account of his old playmate at 
Lancaster. Accordingly, he induced General Smith to send 
him home with dispatches. In January, 1850, he weet down 
to Monterey to bid his friends there good-bye, and then took 
passage on a steamer for Panama. There they crossed the 
Isthmus, partly on mule-back and partly in a canoe. 
Thence they made their way to New York by steamer. 
Senator Gwin, Ord and A. J. Smith were members of the 
party, and Sherman brought along two Spanish boys from 
Monterey to put into college at Georgetown, D. C. Sher- 
man's party on reaching New York put up at Delmonico's 
Hotel, on Bowling Green. The next day Sherman went 
to General Scott's office and delivered General Smith's 
dispatches, and was "ordered" (not invited) to dine with 
him the next day. At the dinner General Scott enter- 
tained his guests with stories of the Mexican war. Sher- 
man felt deeply the fact that the country had passed 
through a foreign war and that his comrades had participat- 
ed in great battles, while he himself had not even heard a 
hostile shot. He thought that his last chance was gone 
and his career as a soldier at an end. But Scott startled 
him with the prophecy that the country would soon be 
plunged into a terrific civil war. 

After a few days in New York, General Scott sent him 
on to Washington. Mr. Ewing was then Secretary of the 
4 



58 MARRIAGE TO MISS E WING. 

Interior, and Sherman, of course, became a member of his 
family. Sherman soon went to call on President Taylor at 
the White House, He had never seen him before, though 
he had served under him in Florida in 1840-41. He had 
a long and very pleasant chat with him, and was, he says, 
most agreeably surprised at his fine personal appearance, 
and his pleasant, easy manners. 

As soon as possible Sherman obtained six months' leave 
of absence. He visited his mother at Mansfield, Ohio, and 
then returned to Washington. There, on May ist, 1850, 
he was. married to his first and only love, Ellen Boyle 
Evving. The ceremony occurred at the house of Mr. 
Ewing, on Pennsylvania avenue, opposite the War Depart- 
ment building. A large and distinguished company at- 
tended, including President Taylor and all the members of 
his Cabinet, Daniel Webster, Henry Clay, Thomas H. 
Benton, aud many other prominent statesmen. The young 
couple made a wedding journey to Baltimore, New York, 
Niagara Falls and Ohio, returning to Washington on July 
1st. 

President Taylor took part in the celebration of the 
Fourth of July, and immediately afterward was taken ill 
and died. Sherman was present in the gallery of the 
Senate chamber when Fillmore took the oath of office and 
succeeded to the Presidency. He also attended General 
Taylor's funeral as an Aid-de-Camp. 

Important political changes soon came on, which were 
watched by Sherman with much interest. Mr. Evving re- 
signed his office as Secretary of the Interior and became 
Senator. Sherman listened to many of the interesting de- 
bates that took place in the Senate at this time. He 
heard Webster's last speech in the Senate before he en- 
tered Fillmore's Cabinet. Learning that Webster was to 



GETTING INTO THE SENATE. 59 

make a speech, he went to the Capitol at an early 
hour, but found all the galleries already overcrowded. 
Anxious to hear the speech, he appealed to Senator Cor- 
win, who asked him what he wanted. Sherman said he 
wanted him to take him to the floor of the Senate, add- 
ing that he had often seen from the gallery persons on the 
floor no better than he was. Corwin asked him in a quiz- 
zical way if he was a foreign ambassador. Sherman said 
he was not. A Governor of a State .'' No. A member of 
the House of Representatives ? No. Ever received a 
vote of thanks from either house.'' No. Well, Corwin ex- 
plained, those were the only persons entitled to go upon 
the floor; but there was just one other chance. "Have 
you any impudence?" "Yes, if occasion calls for it." 
' Could you become so interested in talking with me as not 
to see that door-keeper.?" "Yes, if you will tell me one 
of your funny stories." So Corwin took Sherman's arm 
and walked around the vestibule for a few minutes with 
him, and then led him through the doorway into the Senate 
Chamber. The door-keeper began asking him if he was 
an Ambassador, or Governor, or Representative, but Sher- 
man paid no attention to him, pretending to be so absorbed 
in Corwin's story as not to hear him. Once in, Corwin 
told the young man to take care of himself, and he did so. 

He sat near General Scott and not far from Webster, and 
heard the whole of the speech. He has recorded that it 
was heavy in the extreme, and he was disappointed and 
tired long before it was finished. The speech could not, 
in Sherman's estimatien, be compared with Mr. Clay's 
efforts. 

At the end of July all the family went home to Lancaster 
and Sherman was soon sent to St. Louis. In September, 
1852, he was sent thence to New Orleans. But he soon 



60 A MEMORABLE VOYAGE. 

applied for and obtained a leave of absence, desiring to go 
to San Francisco with a view to settling there. So he sent 
his family back to Ohio and went himself to California by the 
way of Nicaragua, When he boarded the steamer bound 
from San Juan del Sur for San Francisco there was a great 
rush for state-rooms. Just as he had secured his, a lady who 
had been a fellow-passenger from New Orleans asked him 
to secure one for her and her lady friend. The purser an- 
swered that there was not another left, and so put down 
their names for the other two berths in Sherman's state- 
room, promising to make other arrangements as soon as 
the vessel was off. So down went the entry, " Captain 
Sherman and ladies." A few minutes later the purser gave 
Sherman a berth in another state-room, so that the two 
ladies had the room to themselves. At every meal the stew- 
ard invited Sherman to bring " his ladies " to the table, and 
they had the best seats there. The two ladies were, Sher- 
man says, the most modest and best behaved on the ship. 
But soon after his arrival at San Francisco he discovered 
that one of them at least — the one who had asked him to 
secure the state-room for her — was a notorious woman. 

It was a poor ship they travelled in, and the weather wasr 
foggy. In trying to make San Francisco harbor they ran 
aground, and Sherman went off in a small boat to reach the 
city and bring help. He came near getting drowned, but 
finally reached the city and sent back help to the stranded 
vessel. All the passengers were taken off and brought to 
the city in safety and the next night the ship went to 
pieces. Had even a slight storm arisen when they ran 
aground, probably not one of the passengers would have 
escaped. 

Sherman now went into business in San Francisco. In 
the summer of 1853 he returned East and took his family 



VARIED BUSINESS EXPERIENCES. 6 1 

back to the Pacific coast. On September 6th he resigned 
his commission in the army and devoted himself earnestly 
to various business enterprises, but the unhealthy state 
of speculation disgusted him. Presently there was a finan- 
cial panic, in which Sherman and those associated with 
him lost considerably. But he held on there with varying 
fortunes until the spring of 1857, when he returned with 
his family to New York. Again in 1858, he went to San 
Francisco and closed up his business there, making full 
payment of all dues and then after some experience in St. 
Louis and elsewhere, settled his family at Lancaster in the 
fall of 1859. 

Among his various adventures at this period was the 
practice of law. The young Ewings, his brothers-in-law, 
were establishing themselves as lawyers at Leavenworth, 
Kansas, and Sherman, after living for some time on a farm 
of 160 acres which he owned, near Topeka, joined their 
law firm. For two years he strove to be a lawyer, but with 
indifferent success While the Ewings rose rapidly among 
the foremost leaders in the law and the politics of the 
State, their eccentric ofifice partner gained but little in- 
fluence and no prominence ; the citizens knew little of him. 
"It happened one day," says an old copy of The Leaven- 
worth Conservative, "that Sherman was compelled to 
appear before the Probate Judge, Gardner, we believe. 
The other partners were busy ; and so Sherman, with his 
authorities and his case all mapped out, proceeded to court. 
He returned in a rage two hours after. Something had gone 
wrong. He had been pettifogged out of the case by a sharp 
petty attorney opposed to him in a way which was disgusting 
to his intellect and his convictions. His amonr propre was 
hurt, and he declared that he would have nothing to do with 
the law in Kansas. That afternoon the business was closed, 
partnership dissolved, and in a very short time Sherman 
was on his way to a more congenial clime and occupation. 



CHAPTER V. 

THE CRISIS OF A CAREER. 

Sherman in the Prime of Manhood — Great Events Approaching — 
How He Came to ke a Schoolmaster — Organization of the Semi- 
nary — Political Talk — His View on Slavery — The Campaign of i860 
AND Election of Lincoln — Secession — Sherman's Prompt Decision 
TO Stand by the Union — Resignation of His Principalship — De- 
parture for the North — Fate of the Seminary. 

Sherman's real history begins with 1859. Up to that 
time, as we have seen, his Hfe was one of preparation, 
checkered, adventurous, often picturesque, always earnest. 
Yet it comprised no word or act of vital import or perma- 
nent value to the world. Whether hunting in Florida, or 
mingling in gay society at Charleston, or watching the rush 
for gold and the rise of a new State in California, or bank- 
ing in New York, or practicing law in Kansas, he did 
nothing that unfolded his own character to the fullest extent, 
or seriously impressed the history of the nation. The most 
interesting personal feature of those years was his long 
courtship and happy marriage ; the incident of most public 
value, undreamed of at the time, was his horseback 
journeys through Northern Georgia. Neither of these, 
however, had his career been ended at that time, would 
have secured him more than a local and a transient fame. 
The work of his life yet lay before him. 

It is interesting to observe, in passing, as significant 
of his general character, that he was admitted to practice 
law at the Kansas bar, not on the strength of his legal 
62 



THE COMING OF Ott^ORTL^J 1 ll-.S. 63 

attainments nor because he had successfully passed the 
required examination, but simply on the score of his general 
intelligence. Ke did not, in fact, profess to be a lawyer 
in the technical sense of the term. He had indeed studied 
a few of the ordinary law books, but he could hardly have 
passed a satisfactory examination. He arranged, there- 
fore, to enter partnership with Thomas Ewing, Jr., on this 
basis : Ewing, who was a thorough lawyer, was to manage 
all the business in the Courts, and Sherman was to look 
after collections, agency work, etc., such as his business 
experience had qualified him to attend to. It was neces- 
sary even under these circumstances for him to obtain a 
lawyer's license, so he went one day to Judge Lecompte, of 
the United States Court, and mentioned the matter to 
him. The Judge told him to go to the Clerk and get a 
license. "But," said Sherman, "shall I have to be exam- 
ined .'* " " No," said the Judge, " we will admit you on the 
strength of yon.ir general intelligence." 

Behold our hero, then, in the midsummer of 1859; a 
tall, slender man in the prime of life, who had never 
known a day's ill health, and whose mind and body were 
briming with ambition and energy that had not yet found 
scope for full expansion. He had weighed many things in 
the balance of practical achievement, but had found them 
all wanting. His heart was set upon a soldier's Hfe, but 
as yet he had been compelled to remain amid scenes of 
inglorious peace. He had missed the opportunities of the 
Mexican war, and the sanguinary prophecies of General 
Scott had lacked fulfilment. 

But now the shadows of great events began to fall 
thickly all about him. He had already witnessed the Free 
State Struggle in California, and had seen Fremont tri- 
umphantly elected Senator. The same conflict was now 



64 A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL. 

rapidly assuming national dimensions. The old Whig 
party had melted away, and a new and stronger party had 
arisen in its place. Already the new organization had 
fought a great presidential campaign with Fremont as its 
leader, and had shown a strength that promised success 
when next it shoud measure forces with its opponent. In 
Congress the new party was an important factor, and there 
Sherman's brother, John, was one of its most conspicuous 
leaders. Although in his cadet days Sherman had not 
been in full sympathy with the Whig partisanship of his 
foster father, the whole bent of his nature was now 
strongly toward freedom as against slavery, and toward 
nationalism as against sectionalism and secession. But 
not yet did he even dream of the nearness and the magni- 
tude of the coming struggle, and the mighty part that 
he was destined to play therein. 

He was invited, in July, 1859, ^^ become the head of a 
new military school at Alexandria, Louisiana. The 
national government sometime before had given to that 
State a considerable tract of public land, the proceeds from 
the sale of which were to be used in founding " a seminary 
of learning." For some time the authorities of Louisiana 
discussed the name and scope of the proposed institution, 
and finally adopted the title of " Louisiana Seminary of 
Learning," to which Sherman afterward added " and Mili- 
tary Academy." Sherman appears to have obtained the 
principalship of this seminary through the influence of 
Major Don Carlos Buell and General G. M. Graham, and 
Aipt, as has been alleged, through the personal friendship of 
'General Bragg and General Beauregard. Indeed, the lat- 
ter two gentlemen had nothing to do with it, and did not 
know of his appointment until it was actually made. 
Sherman had written to Buell, who was on duty in the War 



M,. 



J C-^^,»-Xl-X.^ 



MADE PLANS FOR THE SEMINARY. 65 

Department at Washington, applying for a place as army 
paymaster. Buell reiDlied by sending him a prospectus of 
the Louisana Seminary and advising him to apply for the 
principalship. Sherman did so, and soon after was in- 
formed by Governor Wickliffe that he had been appointed 
to the desired position. Sherman was made principal and 
professor of engineering ; Anthony Vallas was professor of 
mathematics and philosophy ; Francis W. Smith was pro- 
fessor of chemistry ; David F. Boyd was professor of lan- 
guages, English and Ancient ; and E. Berti St. Ange was 
professor of French and Modern languages. 

Sherman went to Louisiana in the autumn of 1859 and 
reported for duty to Governor Moore, who had succeeded 
Governor Wickliffe. Governor Moore sent him in his own 
carriage to Alexandria, and there Sherman and General 
Graham looked over the ground and made plans for the 
Seminary. The college building stood on a tract of four 
hundred acres of pine land, and was under the charge of a 
carpenter named James. It was a large and handsome 
house, but did not contain a chair or table or blackboard, 
or indeed any of the essentials of school work. Sherman 
accordingly set la work at once to supply the deficien- 
cies. He engaged James and three other carpenters, and 
'set them to work making furniture out of some of the fenc- 
ing of the place and a lot of boards that were piled near the 
house. 

The Governor issued a notice on November 17th, announc- 
ing that the seminary would be open on January jLst, i860. 
On the latter date some sixty students reported to the 
principal. Sherman organized the school as nearly as pos- 
sible on the basis of West Point, with roll calls, etc., but 
without uniforms or muskets. He himself attended to the 
business of the institution and gave but little actual claaa 



66 FRANK VIE. frL' OF SLA VER Y. 

instruction. There were seventy-three students during the 
first term, and fifty-nine of them passed the examination 
on July 30th, i860. Meantime Sherman had secured new 
legislation, granting the school a larger fund for its main- 
tenance, and generally increasing its efficiency and scope. 

While advocating the cause of the school before the leg- 
islature he necessarily spent much time at Baton Rouge, 
and there was drawn into the political discussions that were 
then rife. His brother, John Sherman, was the Repub- 
lican candidate for the Speakership of the House of Rep- 
resentatives at Washington, and was regarded through the 
South as an " Abolitionist " — a synonym for all that was 
monstrous and devilish. For this reason W. T, Sherman 
was looked upon with suspicion in Louisiana, and many 
people openly expressed their doubt of the propriety of re- 
taining him at the head of an important State institution. 
One evening Sherman took dinner at the Governor's, and 
there met General Bragg and a number of leading politi- 
cians. After the ladies had left the table, the gentlemen 
took to talking politics, and General Moore, referring to 
John Sherman's candidacy for the Speakership, asked Col- 
onel Sherman to speak his own mind frankly on the sub- 
ject of slavery and the political conflict between the North 
and the South. 

Sherman responded frankly and fully. He declared that 
his brother was not an Abolitionist in the radical sense 
of the term. He was, of course, opposed to slavery, but 
did not advocate any forcible interference with existing 
institutions at the South, although he would resist their 
extension into other parts of the country. As for himself, 
Sherman declared that if he were a citizen of Louisiana 
and a member of the legislature, he would earnestly strive 
for the amelioration of the condition of the negroes ; he 



TROUBLESOME TIMES IMPENDIh'C. 6? 

would toibld tlie sejjaration of families In the sale of slaves; 
3.nd he would abolish the laws which forbade slaves to 
icarn to read aud write. He talked in this strain at some 
length and with his characteristic earnestness and vigor, 
and supported his views by citing illustrations from his 
own experience and observation. His remarks deeply im- 
pressed the whole country, and when he stopped speaking 
the Attorney-General of the State, who was present, struck 
the table a tremendous blow with his fist and exclaimed : 
"By , heis right!" After that there were no com- 
plaints of Sherman's political unfitness for his place. 

There was a vacation from August ist td November ist, 
and Sherman went North, to New York, to purchase ad- 
ditional supplies for the school, and then to Lancaster to 
visit his family, who had remained there pending the con- 
struction of a suitable house at Alexandria. He also went 
to Washington and influenced the War Department to 
grant to the school a supply of muskets and other accoutre- 
ments for the military drill. Returning to Alexandria in 
October he went to work with great energy to get the new 
buildings ready for the opening of the school on November 
1st. On the latter date about one hundred and thirty 
cadets were present, and the work of the school was re- 
sumed. 

Sherman's house was now ready, and he moved into it. 
He did not, however, send for his family because serious 
storms were visible in the political skies. The presidential 
campaign then closing had been unprecedentedly bitter, 
and it was evident that the election of the Republican 
candidate would immediately be followed by the most ex- 
treme measures on the part of the South. Sherman took 
no part in the political discussion, although his associates 
tried to force him into it. On election day he was openly 



68 SHERMAN'S OPINION OF SECESSION. 

told that it would be advisable for him to vote for Bell and 
Everett, that being the Presidential ticket most in favor in 
Louisiana. *' I openly said I would not," says Sherman, 
"and I did not." 

Lincoln was elected and the event startled the South. 
It was recognized there at once that extension of the slave 
power into the territories was impossible in the future, and 
that therefore the future growth of the nation would be in 
the direction of free soil and free men. The most incen- 
diary and revolutionary talk was heard everywhere. Sher- 
man kept quietly at his work, but he noticed that his cadets 
began taking their declamations from the speeches of Cal- 
houn, Yancey and other Southern extremists, selecting 
especially passages in defence of slavery and in praise of 
State rights. 

No one ventured, however, to approach him upon the 
subject, although his opinions were pretty generally under- 
stood, namely, that secession was treason and treason meant 
war. When President Buchanan announced in his annual 
message to Congress, in December, i860, that the General 
Government had no power to prevent a State from seced- 
ing, Sherman was startled and began to fear the dissolu- 
tion of the Union. 

South Carolina soon passed acts of secession, and agents 
came to Louisiana to persuade the Government of that 
State to do likewise. Sherman saw that the mass of the 
people were opposed to it, but that the politicians would 
certainly force them into it. Such was the case. But be- 
fore the formal act of secession was passed. Governor 
Moore, in the name of the State, seized upon all the 
United States forts at the mouth of the Mississippi and 
the Federal arsenal at Baton Rouge. He was prompted to 
do this by Benjamin and Slidell, the two Senators from 



THE DECISION MADE, 69 

Louisiana- Sherman was strongly and bitterly impressed 
oy the seizure of the arsenal. The arsenal was command- 
ed by Major Haskins, an excellent and loyal officer, who, 
however, feared to resist the State's demand, because he 
knew that the cowardly administration at Washington 
would not support him in such a refusal ; so he surren- 
dered to General Bragg, 

Some of the arms stored in the arsenal were sent up to 
Alexandria, and Sherman was ordered by the Governor to 
receipt for them and take care of them. Thus, he says, 
he was made the receiver of stolen goods, goods that were 
the property of the United States ; and this grated terri- 
bly on his loyal feelings. Indeed it was this event that 
brought affairs, with him, to a crisis, and immediately, a 
week before the actual ordinance of secession was passed, 
he wrote as follows : 

" Louisiana State Seminary of Learning 
"AND Military Academy, 

"January i8th, 1861. 
"Governor Thomas O. Moore, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. 

"Sir: As I occupy a quasi-military position under this 
State, I deem it proper to acquaint you that I accepted 
such position when Louisiana was a State in the Union, 
and when the motto of the Seminary was inserted in the 
marble over the main door: 'By the liberality of the Gen- 
eral Government of the United States. The Union — 
esto perpetua.' 

" Recent events foreshadow a great change, and it be- 
comes all men to choose. If Louisiana withdraws from 
the Federal Union, I prefer to maintain my allegiance to 
the old Constitution as long as a fragment of it survives, 
and my longer stay here would be wrong in every sense of 



70 THE CHOICE INEVITABLE. 

the word. In that event, I beg you will send or appoint 
some authorized agent to take charge of the arms and 
munitions of war here belonging to the State or direct 
me what disposition should be made of them. 

"And, furthermore, as President of the Board of Super- 
visors, I beg you to take immediate steps to relieve me 
as superintendent the moment the State determines to 
secede; for on no earthly account will I do any act, or 
think any thought, hostile to or in defiance of the old 
Government of the United States. With great respect, 
etc., " W. T. Sherman." 

Accompanying this, he sent a private letter to the Gov- 
ernor, in which he said: "I take it for granted that you 
have been expecting for some days the accompanying 
paper from me. I have repeatedly and again made known 
to General Graham and Dr. Smith that, in the event of a 
severance of the relations hitherto existing between the 
Confederated States of this Union, I would be forced to 
choose the old Union. ... I have never been a poli- 
tician, and therefore undervalue the excited feelings and 
opinions of present rulers, but I do think if this people 
cannot execute a form of Government like the present, 
that a worse one will result. ... I entertain the 
kindest feelings toward all, and would leave the State 
with much regret. Only in great events we must choose 
one way or the other." 

To Dr. S. A. Smith, president of the Board of Super- 
visors, he wrote a long letter, relating what he had written 
to the Governor, and saying that under the circumstances 
he felt it would be highly improper for him longer to remain 
at the head of the school. " The more I think of it, 
the more I think I should be away, the sooner the 
better." 



BKA GG AND BEA URE GARD. 7 1 

A few days later he received a reply from Governor 
Moore, in General Bragg's hand-writing, expressing much 
regret at the loss of his services, and assurances of respect, 
confidence and admiration. Dr. Smith also wrote to him 
in a similar strain on January 28th, and added in a post- 
script : " Governor Moore desires me to express his pro- 
found regret that the State is about to lose one who we 
all fondly hoped had cast his destinies for weal or for woe 
among us." The Board of Supervisors and the Academic 
Board also adopted resolutions expressing deep regret at 
his departure and the highest appreciation of the value of 
his services. 

In the latter part of February, 1861, Sherman turned 
over all the Seminary property to his successor and then 
went down to New Orleans to draw the salary due him 
and close up all his business relations with the State. 
During the few days he spent at New Orleans, he Hved at 
the St. Louis Hotel, and usually sat at the same table with 
General and Mrs. Bragg, with whom he was on most 
friendly terms. He also met General Beauregard, two 
of whose sons had been at the Alexandria Seminary. Beau- 
regard was at that time sent for by Jefferson Davis to be 
•made Brigadier-General, and this made Bragg jealous, 
because in the United States army Bragg had been Beau- 
regard's senior officer. Talking about this one day at the 
hotel table, Mrs. Bragg remarked to Sherman : " You 
know that my husband is not a favorite with the new 
President." " Why," said Sherman, " I did not know that 
he had ever met Mr. Lincoln." "I didn't mean your 
President," replied Mrs. Bragg with emphasis, "but our 
President." 

Business was going on in New Orleans as usual. The 
Louisiana State flag was flying over all the Federal build- 



72 FAREWELL TO THE SOUTH. 

ings and elsewhere throughout the city, and along the 
river ships displayed every flag on earth except the Stars 
and Stripes. Everybody seemed to regard the change of 
government as complete and final, and believed that seces- 
sion would be quietly acquiesced in by the nation, al- 
though men were steadily being enlisted and armed to 
defend the State. Amid such scenes, on February 25th, 
Sherman bade farewell to his friends, and set out for his 
old home at Lancaster. 

The Alexandria Seminary was broken up by the war. 
All the faculty and students joined the Rebel army except- 
ing two professors and one student. Sherman met several 
of his former associates during the war, and for many years 
after the war maintained a friendly acquaintance with 
them. The Seminary was re-organized in 1865, but a few 
years later was totally destroyed by fire. Governor Moore's 
plantation was laid waste during the war, and Sherman 
was afterward of great service to him in regaining posses- 
sion of his property. 




HON. JOHN SHERMAN 



CHAPTER VI. 

THE OUTBREAK OF THE WAR. 

The South Excited and Ready — The North Indifferent and Unpre- 
pared — Sherman's Interview with Lincoln — His Plain Talk to his 
Brother— Disgusted with the Politicians — A St. Louis Street 
Railroad President — War Talk in St. Louis — A Clerkship De- 
clined — His Loyalty Doubted — Prophesying a Great Struggle — 
Bloodshed in St. Louis — Back to Washington — In Service at Last. 

It is not easy to imagine a greater difference between 
two sections of one nation than existed between the North 
and South in the early months of 1861. In both, the same 
great topic overshadowed all other interests ; and both en- 
joyed full information concerning it. Both, indeed, were 
deeply and equally concerned in the settlement of the great 
controversy that was already convulsing the nation. Yet 
the sentiment that prevailed in the one section varied as 
widely from that in the other as though they were situated 
upon different planets. 

In Louisiana, before he left that State, and in the other 
parts of the South through which he travelled on his way 
to the North, Sherman found everywhere the keenest pub- 
lic interest in the impending conflict, which was, then and 
there, seen to be inevitable. Preparation was being 
feverishly pushed on every hand. States were seceding. 
7S 5 



76 INTER VIE W WITH I INCOLN. 

Federal forts, arsenals and other property was being con- 
fiscated. Federal officers were proving recreant to their 
trusts, and were casting in their lot with the insurgents. 
Politicians were preaching secession, and the public heart 
was rapidly being fired with the same unholy flame. 

But when he reached Illinois and Ohio and other North- 
ern States, the scene was entirely changed. All was calm 
and placid. No one seemed seriously to think of serious 
trouble. The commercial instinct prevailed. Men were 
too busy making money to pay attention to politics. 
Others felt too secure in the established order of things 
to believe that any great change was at hand. Sherman 
was impressed with the idea that either the North had no 
adequate realization of the true state of affairs, which was 
scarcely credible, or, which seemed far more likely, ' it 
would tamely submit to a dissolution of the Union. The 
supine weakness of Buchannan had not aroused the North 
to shame, nor had the aggressive treason of the conspira- 
tors who surrounded him excited its righteous wrath. It 
is related that Horace Greeley, on hearing of the manner 
in which a long-suffering but at last indignant public had 
overwhelmingly routed at the polls the venal ring that had 
long plundered and oppressed it, threw up his hands in 
exultation and exclaimed with an oath, "This is a great 
people when it gets mad !" The North had not yet "got 
mad," and its greatness was not yet apparent. 

Soon after coming North, Sherman proceded to Wash- 
ington, where Lincoln had just been inaugurated as Presi- 
dent, John Sherman was now a Republican leader in the 
Senate, having been appointed in place of Chase, who had 
entered the Cabinet. Washington was enough of a south- 
ern city to be filled with war talk. Sherman's old friend, 
Anderson, had just moved his troops from Fort Moultrie 



A RAILROAD PRESIDENT. 77 

into Fort Sumter, in Charleston Harbor, and had 
announced his patriotic determination to hold that post 
for the Government at all hazards. Southern members of 
Congress and office holders in the Departments, even in 
the War Department, were openly talking treason of the 
rankest kind. 

Sherman was one day at this time taken by his brother 
John to the White House, where he had a long interview 
with the President. On learning that Sherman had just 
come from the South, Lincoln inquired of him "how they 
were getting along down there." Said Sherman, " They 
think they are getting along swimmingly. They are pre- 
paring for war." " Oh, well," replied Lincoln, " I guess 
we'll manage to keep house." This remark greatly dis- 
appointed Sherman and he changed the subject as quickly 
as possible. As he left the White House, however, he re- 
lieved his mind most emphatically to his brother, "John," 
he exclaimed fiercely, " you damned politicians have got 
things in a hell of a fix, and you may get out of them as 
you best can ! " 

Thoroughly disgusted with Washington and the poli- 
ticians, Sherman went back to Lancaster. His brother 
John begged him to remain at the Capitol and to be more 
patient with the President, but the impetuous soldier 
would not listen to him. At Lancaster he found letters 
from friends at St. Louis urging him to come on there and 
assume the presidency of a street railroad, which was sure 
to prove profitable. He quickly decided to do so, and on 
March 27th set out for St. Louis with his family. On 
April 1st they took possession of a house on Locust street, 
where Charles Paving and John Hunter, law partners, 
boarded with them. Sherman was elected president of the 
street railroad company, which had a paying line m full 



yS AN OFFER DECLINED. 

operation, and tried to devote himself strictly to business. 
This, however, was impossible. The air was full of poli- 
tics and of war. The Governor of Missouri and all the 
leading politicians openly sympathized with the seceding 
States. The troops at the State Camp of Instruction in 
Lindell's Grove were commanded by a Southern sym- 
pathizer, although he was a Northerner and a West Point 
man. There were, however, some loyal men about, among 
them being John M. Schofield, B. Gratz Brown, Clinton 
B. Fisk and Frank Blair — whoss brother, Montgomery 
Blair was in Lincoln's Cabinet, These patriotic men had 
organized, chiefly among the German population of the 
city, four or five regiments of loyal " Home Guards." Na- 
thaniel Lyon, also, kept his handful of Federal troops at 
the arsenal true to the Nation. Day by day the situation 
grew more strained. Sherman tried to keep out of the 
trouble, and talked freely with only a few intimate friends. 
But day by day it became more evident that a tremendous 
conflict was close at hand, and day by day the earnest sol- 
dier and ardent patriot felt himself more strongly drawn 
away from his street railroad and toward the defence of 
the Nation. 

Meantime he was not forgotten at Washington, where 
his brother John was strongly urging his interests. On 
April 6th he received a telegraphic dispatch from the Post- 
master-General, Montgomery Blair, saying: "Will you ac- 
cept the chief clerkship of the War Department } We 
will make you Assistant Secretary of War when Congress 
meets." Sherman promptly telegraphed back, " I cannot 
accept," and then wrote by mail as follows : 

" I received, about nine o'clock Saturday night, your 
telegraph dispatch, which I have this moment answered, 
' I cannot accept.' I have quite a large family, and when 



SUSPECTED Of DISLOYALTY. 79 

I resigned my place in Louisiana, on account of secession, 
I had no time to lose ; and, therefore, after my hasty visit 
to Washington, where I saw no chance of employment, I 
came to St. Louis, have accepted a place in this company, 
have rented a house, and incurred other obligations, so 
that I am not at liberty to change. I thank you for the 
compliment contained in your offer, and assure you that I 
wish the Administration all success in its almost impossi- 
ble task of governing this distracted and anarchical 
people." 

This letter gave great offence at Washington, and some 
members of the Cabinet prophesied that Sherman would 
join the secessienists. Another attempt, however, was 
soon made to secure his services for the Government, this 
time personally by Frank Blair. Blair asked Sherman to 
come to his house one night, and there told him that the 
Government had determined to relieve General Harney, 
who then commanded the Military Department of Mis- 
souri, and that a change would soon be made. " It is in my 
power," said Blair, "to appoint a Brigadier-General to 
command the Department, and if you will take the place 
you shall have it." Sherman replied that he had already, 
while in Washington, offered his services to the Govern- 
ment, and that they had been declined ; he had now made 
business engagements which he could not readily break ; 
and that while the offer was complimentary and tempting, 
he must decline it. Blair argued the point with him for 
some time, but to no avail, and soon thereafter Nathaniel 
Lyon was appointed to the place. 

The attack upon Fort Sumter by the Charleston insur- 
gents at last startled the North, although even then not 
many seemed to realize the magnitude of the struggle that 
had begun. Lincoln called for 7S,ooc volunteers for there 



8o READY FOR SERVICE. 

months, thinking this force would be sufficient to suppress 
the rebellion. But Sherman regarded this movement with 
contempt. " You might as well attempt to put out the 
flames of a burning house with a squirt gun," he exclaimed, 
indignantly. And again, " You want to organize the 
whole military power of the North at once for a desperate 
struggle." A little later, at Washington, talking with 
Murat Halstead, the editor of TJie Cincinnati Commercial, 
he said : "You don't know anything about this people. 
Why, if we should have a reverse beyond the Potomac, 
the very women of this city would cut the throats of our 
wounded with case knives." So while Sherman's loyalty 
was doubted by some, others began to regard him as an 
alarmist. 

The call of patriotism presently become louder and 
more urgent than the demands of business, and on May 8th 
Sherman wrote as follows to Simon Cameron, Secretary 
of War : 

" I hold myself, now, as always, prepared to serve my 
country in the capacity for which I was trained. I did 
not and will not volunteer for three months, because I can- 
not throw my family on the cold charity of the world. 
But for the three years' call, made by the President, an 
officer can prepare his command and do good service. I 
will not volunteer as a soldier, because rightfully or wrong- 
fully I feel unwilling to take a mere private's place, and, 
having for many years lived in California and Louisiana, 
the men are not well enough acquainted with me to elect 
me to my appropriate place. Should my services be 
needed, the records of the War Department will enable you 
to designate the station in which I can render most service." 

From this it appears that Sherman fully appreciated his 
his own abilities, and was not willing to have thera under- 



THE CA MP JA CKSON A FFA IR. 8 1 

rated by others. It should be added in explanation that 
he had already declined to go Ohio and take command of 
a three months' volunteer regiment, and that the Govern- 
ment had now decided to add eleven regiments to the 
regular army. It was in one of these new regiments of 
regulars that he offered to accept and hoped to receive an 
appointment. 

On the very day after this letter was written, an incident 
occurred at St, Louis which greatly strengthened Sher- 
man's anxiety to get to work in the national cause. On 
that day he took his children down to the arsenal. Inside 
the arsenal walls they found four regiments of the " Home 
Guards," receiving cartridges. General Lyon, who was 
then in command, was rushing about in great excitement. 
Evidently serious business was on hand; whether offensive 
or defensive did not appear. 

But the next morning the city was startled with the 
news that the " Home Guards" were about to attack Camp 
Jackson — the State camp of instruction in Lindell's 
Grove — where, as already stated, secession influences pre- 
vailed. Throughout the city people shut up their houses 
and prepared for fighting. Many of Sherman's friends 
set out for the camp to see what would happen, but Sher- 
man, although he felt intensely interested and excited, 
remained at home. With his son Willie, seven years old, 
he walked up and down the sidewalk before his house, 
listening for sounds of war. A Miss Dean, who lived 
across the way, called out to him and asked him if he knew 
what was going on, saying that her brother-in-law was a 
surgeon in the camp, and she was afraid he would get 
killed. Sherman replied that he did not think the soldiers 
at the camp would attempt to resist General Lyon, who 
was in lawful command. To this the fire-eating lady re- 



§2 BLO ODSHED IN ST. L UlS. 

plied that the soldiers at the camp belonged to the first 
families of St. Louis, and that they would certainly fight 
to the bitter end. "Oh, pshaw," said Sherman, " the first 
families don't like to get killed any better than common 
folks." Just at that moment a man came running down 
the street from the camp, shouting, "They've surren- 
dered ! The camp has surrendered ! " And Miss Dean, 
mortified at the cowardice of the first families, went into 
the house and slammed the door. 

Sherman now started toward the camp, his boy 
Willie still with him. Soon he met Frank Blair's regi- 
ment, escorting the Camp Jackson prisoners. There was 
a great crowd in the street, some " damning the Dutch," 
cheering the • prisoners, and hurrahing for Jeff. Davis ; 
and others, though not so many, encouraging the loya^ 
troops. Much confusion prevailed everywhere. Presentl)i 
a drunken rowdy tried to pass through the ranks of the 
troops (Regulars.) A sergeant pushed him back. The 
fellow violently assaulted the sergeant, and then the ser- 
geant knocked him down, and he rolled some distance 
down a grassy bank. The man gathered himself up, and, 
with a great deal of drunken backing and filling, climbed 
up the bank again and drew a pistol. The Regulars had 
by this time moved on, and a regfment of the Home 
Guards had come up arid occupied their place. The fellow 
fired his pistol at one of the officers and struck him in the 
leg. Forthwith the soldiers began to fire over the heads 
of the crowds, and there was a general stampede. Some 
of the bullets went low, and several of the crowd were 
wounded. Charles Ewing threw Willie Sherman on the 
ground and covered him with his own body. Captain 
Sherman also lay down to escape the bullets, and Huntei 
got behind a hillock. There they lay until the firing 



£ACK to washing TOl^. 83 

ceased, when they got up and started for home by way of 
some of the back streets. They afterward found that two 
or three men and a woman and a child had been killed. 
General Lyon put a loyal guard in charge of the vacant 
camp, and marched the prisoners down to the arsenal, 
where sorrie were paroled, and others held for a long time 
until they were regularly exchanged as prisoners of war. 

Soon after this, on May 14th, Sherman received a letter 
from his brother Charles, who was in Washington, telling 
him to come on to the National Capitol at once, as he had 
been appointed Colonel of the Thirteenth Regiment of 
Infantry in the Regular Army. To this there could be 
but one reply. He wound up business affairs at St. Louis 
at once and went on to Washington ; leaving his family 
at their St. Louis home, however, because he expected to 
be allowed to raise his own regiment, and organize it, 
which he intended to do at St. Louis. On reaching 
Washington he was gratified to find that, as he expressed 
it, "the Government was trying to rise to a level with the 
occasion." Lincoln had taken affairs into his own hands. 
Without any Congressional authority he had ordered the 
raising of the new regiments of regulars, in addition to the 
75,000 State volunteers. " Even this call," says Sherman, 
"seemed to me utterly inadequate; still it was none of 
my business." Sherman took the oath of office and re- 
ceived a list of officers who had been appointed to his 
regiment. Then he reported in person to General Scott, 
and asked to be allowed to return to St. Louis and enlist 
his regiment. To this the General would not agree. 
" Your Lieutenant-Colonel can raise the regiment," he 
said. " I want you right here." So, seeing that he would 
have to remain on duty in Washington, Sherman sent word 
to his famly to pack up and go home to Lancaster. He 



84 THE MAN AND THE HOUR. 

ako resigned the presidency oi the railroad company, and 
thus once more was wholly embarked upon a military 
career. 

" He was now," says Mr. Reid in " Ohio in the War," in 
his forty-second year. . . . His thirteen years of army 
life had brought no distinction, McClellan, Fremont, 
Halleck, Hooker, Rosecrans and a score of other young 
retired officers of the Army were remembered as brilliant 
soldiers, according to the standard of those old army days. 
Sherman had lett no name. The eight years of civil life 
that followed had added little to his fortune and nothing 
to his fame. . . . But the heart of the man was sound 
to the core, and his impulsive abandonment of his place in 
Louisiana did more than all his life thus far to fix him in 
men's minds. He was soon to enter upon a wider career, 
but the days of his success were still distant, and a severe 
probation yet awaited him." 



CHAPTER VII. 

BULL RUN 

"On to Richmond ! " — Sherman's Brigadk at Bull Run — Features ok 
Battle— Sherman's Official Report — The Stampede back to the 
PoTOJiAc — How Sherman Dealt with Mutineers — A Threat that 
THffi President Thought he would Execute — Re-organization and 
Promotion — General McClellan Assumes Command — Sherman's 
Frank Criticisms and Uncomfortable Truth-Telling and Con- 
sequent Unpopularity. 

When Sherman was at last assigned to active army duty 
at Washington, on June 20th, -1861, Lieutenant-General 
Scott was Commander-in-Chief of the Army, Brigadier- 
General J. K. Mansfield commanded the troops in and 
about Washington, and Brigadier-General Irvin McDowell 
commanded the Federal troops south of the Potomac. 
The North had come to a realization of the fact that 
actual war was at hand, and the cry " On to Richmond ! " 
was being vigorously uttered. There was an idea that an 
immediate and vigorous forward movement would crush 
the rebellion at a blow. Sherman found that this view 
was generally held by the army officers, among whom he 
moved a great deal in company with his brother John, and 
his old friend and classmate, George H. Thomas. 

A considerable volunteer army under General Patterson 
moved down from Pennsylvania and crossed the Potomac 
85 



86 PLANNING THE FIRST CAMPAIGN, 

at the beginning of July, and there were now plenty of 
troops at Washington to render that city secure from at- 
tack. The appearance of the troops in and about Wash- 
ington was good, but they were evidently altogether unused 
to war. Scarcely two regiments wore the same uniform, 
and their arms were of all sorts and patterns. Sherman 
talked much with General Scott about the plans for the 
war, and was taken deeply into his confidence. The gal- 
lant old General fretted much at the clamors of the news- 
papers for an immediate advance on Richmond, and at the 
frequent interference of the President and Secretary of 
War with his plans. It was his idea to organize a " Grand 
Army of Invasion," which he would lead in person, al- 
though at that time he was very old and physically in- 
capacitated for service in the field. 

Congress met on July 4th, and Lincoln sent it a vigor- 
ous message, announcing that war had begun, that there 
could be no more thought of compromise, and that he 
wanted four hundred thousand men and four hundred 
million dollars to suppress the rebellion and save the 
Union. The Southern members of Congress had now left 
Washington, and the general atmosphere of that Capitol 
was more wholesome and patriotic. Indeed, Congress 
seemed fully in sympathy ' with the popular zeal and 
daily re-echoed the cry " On to Richmond ! " And the 
same cry was taken up by the three months' volunteers ; 
who were the first to be panic-stricken, when actual fight- 
ing was begun. 

The Rebels now had two armies in front of Washing- 
ton ; one at Manassas Junction, under General Beaure- 
gard, and the other at Winchester, under General Joe 
Johnston. Goaded on by the popular clamor, General 
Scott hurried his preparations for an advance, and about 



SHERMAN'S REGIMENTS. %•] 

the middle of July ordered his armies forward. McDowell 
was to attack Beauregard, and Patterson was to move 
against Johnston. Sherman was put in command of a 
brigade of five regiments at Fort Corcoran. This was the 
Third Brigade of the First Division of McDowell's army, 
the division being commanded by General Tyler, who was 
a West Point man, but had as yet seen no real fighting. 

Sherman took command of these troops at the beginning 
of July, and at once set about preparing four of the five 
regiments for service in the field. These were the Thir- 
teenth New York, the Sixty-ninth New York, the Seventy- 
ninth New York, and the Second Wisconsin ; all volun- 
teer regiments, strong and in good condition; and Sher- 
man congratulated himself on having the best brigade in 
the army. He had some difficulty with the New York 
Sixty-ninth, an Irish regiment, which had volunteered 
early in April for ninety days, but had not been mustered 
in for a month thereafter. Many of the men wanted to 
go home at the end of ninety days from the date of enlist- 
ment, but Sherman referred the matter to the War De- 
partment, and obtained an authoritative decision that the 
men must serve for ninety days from the date of 
mustering in. 

About the middle of July the division moved forward, 
and on July i8th had a skirmish at Centreville, in which 
four or five of Sherman's men were killed. This enframe- 
ment assured the Federal commanders of the fact that the 
Rebels were in strong force just beyond Bull Run, and 
that a serious battle was imminent. That battle occurred 
on July 2 1 St, but there is no need here to rehearse its con- 
fused story in detail. It was, in Sherman's judgment, 
afterward frankly expressed, one of the best-planned battles 
of the war, but one of the worst fought. The P'ederal 



88 THE FIRST FIGHTING. 

army was composed of good troops, well organized ; but 
they had no real knowledge of war and had not yet learned 
the lesson of military obedience. Moreover, they had the 
false idea that at their first volley and charge the enemy 
would be routed. There have been volumes of controversy 
about the battle in after years, mostly productive of little 
good. Perhaps it need now only be said that the conflict 
was little creditable to either side. 

Sherman personally led his brigade in the battle. It was 
his first serious fighting, and he was of a nervous and ex- 
citable temperament ; yet he displayed remarkable coolness 
and steadiness. He entered the action early in the after- 
noon, and pursued the retreating enemy for more than a 
mile. Then he had to assume the defensive, and, after a 
determined struggle, his brigade was beaten, regiment by 
regiment, and driven back in disorder. When the panic 
set in his men joined in it, and their retreat was, in his 
own words, "disorderly in the extreme." The total loss 
of his brigade was 1 1 1 killed, 205 wounded and 293 miss- 
ing. His own conduct, however, was such as to impress 
favorably his friends at Washington, and, on the request 
of the Ohio members of Congress, he was, on August 3d, 
appointed Brigadier-General of Volunteers. His commis- 
sion was dated May 17th, and was accepted on August i6th. 

Following is Sherman's official report of the operations 
of his brigade at Bull Run, made to Captain Baird, As- 
sistant Adjutant-General of the First Division : 

"The brigade was composed of the Thirteenth New 
York Volunteers, Colonel Ouimby ; Sixty-ninth New 
York, Colonel Corcoran ; Seventy-ninth New York, Col- 
onel Cameron ; Second Wisconsin, Lieutenant-Colonel 
Peck, and Company E, Third Artillery, under command of 
Captain R. B Ayres, Fifth Artillery. We left our camp 



SHERMAN'S REPORT OF BULL RUN. 89 

near Centreville, pursuant to orders, at 2.30 A. M., taking 
place in your column next to the brigade of General 
Schenck, and proceeded as far as the halt before the 
enemy's position, near the stone bridge at Bull Run. Here 
the brigade was deployed in line along the skirt of timber, 
and remained quietly in position till after 10 A. M. The 
enemy remained very quiet, but about that time we saw a 
regiment leave its cover in our front, and proceed in 
double quick time on the road toward Sudley Springs, by 
which we knew the columns of Colonels Hunter and 
Heintzelman was approaching. About the same time, we 
observed in motion a large force of the enemy below the 
stone bridge. I directed Captain Ayres to take position 
with his battery near our right, and opened fire on this 
mass, but you had previously directed the two guns be- 
longing to this battery; and, finding the smooth bore guns 
did not reach the enemy's position, we ceased firing, and I 
sent a request that you should send to me the thirty- 
pounder rifled gun attached to Captain Carlisle's Battery, 
at the same time I shifted the New York Sixty-ninth to the 
extreme right of the brigade. There we remained till we 
heard the musketry fire across Bull Run, showing that the 
head of Colonel Hunter's column was engaged. This firing 
was brisk, and showed that Hunter was driving before him 
the enemy, till about noon when it became certain that the 
enemy had come to a stand, and that our force on the 
other side of Bull Run was all engaged, artillery and 
infantry. 

" Here you sent me the order to cross over with the 
whole brigade to the assistance of Colonel Hunter. Early 
in the day, when reconnoitering the ground, I had seen a 
horseman descend from a bluff to a point, cross the stream 
and show himself in the open field. And, inferring we 



90 CROSSING THE STREAM. 

should cross over at the same point, I sent forward a com- 
pany as skirmishers, and followed with the whole brigade, 
the New York Sixty-ninth leading. We found no diffi- 
culty in crossing over, and met no opposition in ascending 
the steep bluff opposite with our infantry, but it was im- 
passable to the artillery ; and I sent word back to Captain 
Ayres to follow, if possible, otherwise to use his discretion. 
Captain Ayres did not cross Bull Run, but remained with 
the remainder of your division. His report herewith de- 
scribed his operations during the remainder of the day. 
Advancing slowly and continuously with the head of the 
column, to give time for the regiments in succession to close 
up their ranks, we first encountered a party of the enemy re- 
treating along a cluster of pines. Lieutenant-Colonel Hag- 
gerty of the Sixty-ninth Regiment, without orders, rode over 
and endeavored to intercept their retreat. One of the 
enemy, in full view and short range, shot Haggerty, and 
he fell dead from his horse. The Sixty-ninth opened fire 
on this party, which was returned ; but, determined to 
effect our junction with Hunter's Division, I ordered this 
fire to cease, and we proceeded with caution toward the 
field, when we then plainly saw our forces engaged. Dis- 
playing our colors conspicuously at the head of our 
column, we succeeded in attracting the attention of our 
friends, and soon formed the brigade in rear of Colonel 
Porter's. Here I learned that Colonel Hunter was dis- 
abled by a severe wound, and that General McDowell was 
on the field. I sought him out and received his orders to 
join in the pursuit of the enemy, who were falling back to 
the left of the road by which the army had approached 
from Sudley Springs. Placing Colonel Quimby's Regi- 
ment of Rifles in front, in column by division, I directed 
the other regiments to follow in line of battle, in the 




GEN. JNO. C. FREMONT. 



ADVANCING AGAINST THE ENEMY. 93 

order of the Wisconsin Second, New York Seventy-ninth, 
and New York Sixty-ninth. 

" Quimby's Regiment advanced steadily down the hill 
and up the ridge, from which he opened fire upon the 
enemy, who had made another stand on ground very favor- 
able to him, and the regiment continued advancing as the 
enemy gave way, till the head of the column reached the 
point near which Rickett's Battery was so severely cut up. 
The other regiments descended the hill in line of battle, 
under a severe cannonading, and the ground affording 
comparative shelter against the enemy's artillery, they 
changed directions by the right flank and followed the road 
before mentioned. At the point where this road crossed 
the bridge to our left, the ground was swept by a most 
severe fire by artillery, rifle, and musketry, and we saw in 
succession several regiments driven from it, among them 
the Zouaves and battalion of marines. Before reaching the 
crest of the hill the roadway was worn deep enough to 
afford shelter, and I kept the several regiments in it as 
long as possible ; but when the Wisconsin Second was 
abreast of the enemy, by order of Major Wadsworth, of 
General McDowell's staff, I ordered it to leave the road- 
way by the left flank and to attack the enemy, This regi- 
ment ascended to the brow of the hill steadily, received 
the severe fire of the enemy, returned it with spirit, and 
advanced delivering its fire. This regiment is uniformed 
in gray cloth, almost identical with that of the great bulk 
of the secession army, and when the regiment fled in con- 
fusion and retreated toward the road, there was a universal ^ 
cry that they were being fired upon by our own men. 
The regiment rallied again, passed the brow of the hill a 
second time, and was again repulsed in disorder. 

" By this time the New York Seventy-ninth had closed 
up, and in like manner it was ordered to cross the brow of 



94 THE CRISIS OF THE FIGHT. 

the hill and drive the enemy from cover. It was impos- 
sible to get a good view of the ground. In it there was 
one battery of artillery, which poured an incessant fire 
upon our advancing column, and the ground was irregular, 
with small clusters of pines, affording shelter, of which 
the enemy took good advantage. The fire of rifles and 
musketry was very severe. The Seventy-ninth, headed 
by its Colonel (Cameron), charged across the hill, and for 
a short time the contest was severe. They rallied several 
times under fire, but finally broke and gained the cover of 
the hill. This left the field open to the New York Sixty- 
ninth, Colonel Corcoran, who, in his turn, led his regiment 
over the crest, and had in full open view the ground so 
severely contested. The firing was very severe, and the 
roar of cannon, musketry, and rifles, incessant. It was 
manifest the enemy was here in great force, far superior 
to us at that point. The Sixty-ninth held the ground for 
some time, but finally fell back in disorder. 

" At this time Quimby's Regiment occupied another 
ridge to our left, overlooking the same field of action, and 
similarly engaged. Here (about 3.30 p. m.) began the 
scene of disorder and confusion that characterized the 
remainder of the day. Up to that time, all had kept their 
places, and seemed perfectly cool, and used to the shell 
and shot that fell comparatively harmless. Crossing Bull 
Run, I sought it at its last position before the Brigadier 
crossed, but it was not there ; then passing through the 
wood, where, in the morning we had first formed line, we 
approached the blacksmith's shop, but there found a 
detachment of Rebel cavalry ; then made a circuit, avoid- 
ing Cub Run bridge, into Centreville, where I found Gen- 
eral McDowell. From him I understood that it was his 
purpose to rally the forces and make a stand at Centreville. 



RETREATING TO THE POTOMAC. 95 

"But about 9 o'clock at night I received from General 

Tyler, in person, the order to continue the retreat to the 
Potomac. This retreat was by night, and disorderly in the 
extreme. The men of different regiments mingled to- 
gether, and some reached the river at ArlingtQn, some at 
Long Bridge, and the greater part returned to their former 
camps at or near Fort Corcoran. I reached this point at 
noon next day, and found a miscellaneous crowd crossing 
over the aqueduct and ferries. Conceiving this to be 
demoralizing, I at once commanded the guard to be in- 
creased, and all persons attempting to pass over to be 
stopped. This soon produced its effect. Men sought 
their proper companies and regiments, comparative order 
was restored, and all now posted to the best advantage. 

"Our loss was heavy, all around us; but the short ex- 
posure to an intense fire of small-arms, at close range, had 
killed many, wounded more, and had produced disorder in 
all the battalions that had attempted to destroy it. Men 
fell away talking, and in great confusion. Colonel Came- 
ron had been mortally wounded, carried to an ambulance, 
and reported dying. Many other officers were reported 
dead or missing, and many of the wounded were making 
their way, with more or less assistance, to the buildings or 
hospitals. On the ridge to the west we succeeded in 
partially re-forming the regiments, but it was manifest they 
would not stand, and I directed Colonel Corcoran to move 
along- the ridge to the rear, near the position where we 
had first formed the brigade. General McDowell was 
there in person, and used all possible efforts to reassure 
the men. By the active exertions of Colonel Corcoran, 
we formed an irregular square against the cavalry, which 
was then seen to issue from the position from which we 
had been driven, and we began our retreat towards that 



96 SUPPRESSING A MUTINY. 

ford of Bull Run by which we had approached the field of 
battle. There was no possible order to retreat, although 
for an hour it had been going on by the operations of the 
men themselves. The ranks were thin and irregular, and 
we found a stream of people stirring from the hospital 
across Bull Run, and far toward Centreville. 

"After putting in motion the irregular square, I pushed 
forward to find Captain Ayres's Battery, occupied chiefly 
at the point where Rickett's Battery was destroyed. 
Lieutenant-Colonel Haggerty was killed about noon, before 
we effected a junction with Colonel Hunter's Division. 
Colonel Cam.eron was mortally wounded leading the regi- 
ment in charge, and Colonel Corcoran has been missing 
since the cavalry charge near the building used as a hos- 
pital." 

After the battle, Sherman made his way back to 
Centreville, where he saw General McDowell, and reor- 
ganized as far as possible his disordered regiments. During 
the night they marched back to Fort Corcoran, and ex- 
pecting the Rebels to pursue them, placed themselves in a 
state of defence. By July 25th many of his men, especially 
the New York Sixty-ninth Regiment, became sick of war, 
and v/anted to go home. One captain of the Sixty-ninth 
grew mutinous, and in the presence of a number of the 
soldiers declared that he was going home at once, with or 
without permission. Sherman turned upon him sharply 
and said: "If you attempt to leave without orders I will 
shoot you like a dog ! " The man weakened and went 
back to his place in the fort, and no more such talk v^as 
heard. 

That same day, Lincoln and Seward came down to the 
camp in an open' carriage. "We heard," said Lincoln, 
" that you had got over the big scare, and we thought we 



LINCOLN'S FAITH IN SHERMAN. 97 

would come over and see the boys." Sherman escorted 
them about the camp, and then called out his troops on 
parade. Lincoln stood up in the carriage and made a most 
effective address to them. When the soldiers tried to 
cheer him he stopped them, saying : " Don't cheer, boys. 
I rather like it myself, but Colonel Sherman says it is not 
military, and we had better defer to his opinion." Lincoln 
praised the condition of the troops highly, and the effect of 
his speech and visit was excellent. 

When the President entered Fort Corcoran, Sherman in 
the carriage with him, the mutinous captain of the Sixty-ninth 
New York, whom Sherman had threatened to shoot, came 
forward and said : " Mr. President, this morning I went to 
speak to Colonel Sherman, and he threatened to shoot me." 
" Threatened to shoot you .?" echoed Lincoln. " Yes, sir ; 
he threatened to shoot me." Lincoln looked at the officer, 
then at Sherman, and then, stooping over, said to the Cap- 
tain, in a whisper loud enough to be heard by others: 
"Well, if I were you, and he threatened to shoot, I would 
be mighty careful, for he looks like a man who would do 
just what he says." The officer sneaked away amid the 
laughter of the by-standers, and the President afterward 
remarked to Sherman : " Of course, I didn't know any- 
thing about it, but I thought you knew your own business 
best." 

General McDowell now had his headquarters at the 
Arlington House, and was busily reorganizing his army. 
All the subordinate officers were in great trepidation, lest 
they should be held responsible for the disaster of the 
battle. General McClellan had been sent for, and changes 
in command were occurring daily. One evening, as a 
number of the officers were gathered in the Adjutant- 
General's office, a list of newly-appointed Brigadiers was 



98 . A FRANK CRITIC. 

announced. The list comprised the names of Sherman, 
Heintzelman and several other Colonels^ all of whom had 
shared in the panic at Bull Run. None of them could 
believe that they had actually been promoted, and Heint- 
zelman exclaimed, with an oath : " It's all a lie ! Every 
mother's son of you will be cashiered." The appointments, 
however, were actually made ; and when McClellan as- 
sumed command, he confirmed the organization made by 
McDowell. Sherman received several new regiments, 
built two new forts, and organized an elaborate system of 
drills. He was now convinced that there was a long, hard 
war ahead, and he made up his mind to prepare for it as 
thoroughly as possible. 

During the month of August, troops kept pouring in. 
McClellan talked about organizing an army of one hun- 
dred thousand men, with one hundred field batteries. 
Sherman was anxious for him to come to the south of the 
Potomac and prepare for real work in the field, but 
McClellan tarried at his comfortable house in Washington. 
Sherman then thought, and frankly declared that he thought, 
it a mistake," and this opinion he always retained. On 
account of this and other expressions, Sherman became 
unpopular both with McClellan and his favorites. His 
frank truth-telling about the panic at Bull Run, both in 
his own command and in the commands of others, gave 
great offense. He was never at all backward in expressing 
his opinions, and at this time he enjoyed unusual freedom 
of utterance. His nature was nervous, outspoken and 
arbitrary, and his experience as Principal of the Military 
Seminary in Louisiana had enhanced his mandatory air. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

SERVICE IN KENTUCKY. 

SERVIN6 Under Anderson— Critical Condition of the State- 
Seeking Help in Other States-A Visit to Fremont— That 
Famous Interview with Cameron— How the Story of Sherman's 
Insanity was Started— Attacks and Insults— Sherman's Official 
Correspondence— His Request for 200,000 Men— An Extraordin- 
ary Newspaper Article— Sherman Transferred to Missouri— 
Halleck's Confidence in Him— Planning the Donelson Cam- 
paign. 

The difference of military views between Sherman and 
McClellan increased; and while Sherman was steadily 
striving to get his raw tioops into the best possible con- 
dition "and ready to repulse the Rebel attack that was 
hourly expected, he felt that there was no prospect of 
future usefulness or advancement for him m the Army of 
the Potomac. He was therefore much pleased and re- 
lieved, when, about the middle of August, his old friend 
Robert Anderson, the hero of Fort Sumter, now a 
Brigadier- General, asked him to accept a command in the 
Army of the Cumberland, in Kentucky. The State of 
Kentucky was claimed by the South, but the Legislature 
was now ready, as soon as the Government offered it 
proper support, to take sides openly with the North. 
Anderson had been appointed to command the military 

99 



100 THE KENTUCKY SITUATION. 

department of the Cumberland, including Kentucky and 
Tennessee, and had the privilege of selecting four of the 
new Brigadier-Generals to assist him. He wanted Thomas, 
Don Carlos Buell, Burnside and Sherman, It had long 
been Sherman's desire to return to the West^ and he was 
very glad to be associated with Anderson, under whom he 
had served at Fort Moultrie ; so he quickly accepted the 
proposition. A day or two later Anderson and Sherman 
had a talk with President Lincoln about it, and secured 
his consent to the arrangement, although Lincoln at first 
objected to the appointment of Thomas, who was a 
Virginian. So many Southern offlcers had gone over to 
the enemy, that Lincoln hesitated to commission any. 
But Sherman and Anderson convinced him that Thomas 
was and would remain as true as steel. " I'll be respon- 
sible for his loyalty," said Anderson, " with my life." 

At this interview Sherman was careful to impress upon 
Lincoln his earnest desire to fill a subordinate place and 
not, under any circumstances, .to be intrusted with inde- 
pendent command. Lincoln declared himself delighted 
to hear this, saying that he had all along been greatly 
troubled to find places for the many Generals who wanted 
to be Commander-in-Chief. 

The official order, No. 114, making these appointments, 
was issued on August 24th. A few days latter Sherman 
was relieved, and was succeeded by Fitz-John Porter, and 
immediately he set out for Cincinnati, where he met 
Anderson and Thomas. On September ist and 2d, these 
officers met Messrs. Harlan, Speed, Jackson and other 
prominent Kentuckians, and discussed with them the 
general political and military situation. At this time the 
Legislature was in session, ready to declare for the Union 
as soo:"! as General Anderson was prepared to defend it 



A VISIT TO FREMONT. 10 1 

against the Southern armies. William Nelson, a naval 
officer, acting as Brigadier-General of Volunteers, com- 
manded a Federal force at Camp Dick Robinson, near 
Nicholasville, and Brigadier-General Rousseau commanded 
another camp at Jeffersonville, opposite Louisville. 

The State was threatened with invasion by two Rebel 
armies marching from Tennessee. One came from Nash- 
ville, under the lead of Albert Sidney Johnston and S. B. 
Buckner, and the other from Cumberland and Gap, under 
Crittenden and Zollicoffer. Anderson soon realized that 
the Federal forces at hand were not able to resist these 
two armies, and decided at once to send Sherman to the 
Governors of Indiana and Illinois for help, and also to 
General Fremont, who was now in command at St. Louis, 
while Anderson himself and Thomas would go to Louis- 
ville and organize the military forces there. 

Sherman found Governor Morton, of Indiana, as busy as 
could be raising and equipping regiments, which, however, 
were all sent either to McClellan or to Fremont. He found 
Governor Yates, of Illinois, equally diligent, but all 
his troops were sent to Fremont. So ne hastened -to 
St. Louis. There he found m.uch activity and preparation. 
When he inquired for General Fremont he was told, " You 
needn't suppose that he will see you!" Then he was 
told that Fremont was assuming extraordinary dignity, 
surrounding himself by elaborate guards and a showy 
court, and that he delighted in showing his authority by 
keeping State Governors and other important men wait- 
ing for days before he would condescend to grant them 
an interview. 

"Oh, shucks!" said Sherman; "he'll see me!" So 
early the next morning, at sunrise, he went to Fremont's 
headquarters. A sentinel with a naked sword was on 



102 THE REBEL ADVANCE. 

guard at the door Sherman inquired if Fremont was up 
yet. The guard said he didn't know. 'Then find out!" 
said Sherman in a peremptory tone. The sentry called 
for the corporal of the <yuard, to whom Sherman addressed 
the same inquiry ; the same answer was given, and then 
Sherman repeated the same command. The corporal went 
into the house, and a few minutes later the front door 
opened and Isaiah C. Woods, an old California acquaint- 
ance of Sherman's, came out. Sherman had a friendly 
chat with him, and told him that he must see Fremont at 
once. So Woods returned to the house and in a few 
minutes Sherman was ushered into Fremont's presence. 
Fremont was very cordial, but was unable to offer Sherman 
any immediate assistance as, he said, he must first drive 
the Rebel army out of Missouri. 

That afternoon Sherman left St. Louis and returned to 
Louisville. He found that city surcharged with excite- 
ment. The Legislature had declared for the Union, and 
the Rebel armies were rapidly advancing through the 
State. A. S. Johnston was entrenched at Bowling Green, 
Zollicoffer was at Somerset, Pillow and Polk occupied 
Columbus, and Buckner was rapidly advancing on Louis- 
ville. The Federal commanders were utterly unprepared 
to cope with them. Grant had a strong force at Paducah, 
but Anderson at Louisville was practically helpless. 
Buckner's Rebel army was only thirty miles away and 
would perhaps already have been in Louisville had not a 
loyal citizen, named Bird, displaced a railroad rail, and thus 
wrecked the train which was bringing Buckner's advance 
guard. This incident caused some delay to Buckner and 
saved the city. 

Sherman set to work vigorouslv, bringing into the city 
all available troops and getting them ready for action. 



INTERVIEW WITH CAMERON. IO3 

His headquarters were at Muldraugh's Hill, where he 
massed his troops. But now a new trouble arose. Worry 
and anxiety told seriously upon Anderson and he declared 
that he must resign his command or he would die. On 
October 8th, he did actually resign, and Sherman, as the 
senior Brigadier-General, succeeded him in command. 
This was much against Sherman's own wishes, and in 
direct violation of the agreement between him and 
President Lincoln. He protested to the War Department 
against being put in Anderson's place, and was assured 
that Buell would be soon appointed to relieve him. 

The work of organizing for defence went steadily on, 
and the Rebel advance was for a season checked. The 
Government at Washington appeared, however, to be devot- 
ing nearly all its attention to McClellan and Fremont, and 
to be neglecting the army in Kentucky altogether. This 
was Sherman's feeling at the time. But about the middle 
of October, Simon Cameron, the Secretary of War, 
accompanied by Adjutant-General Lorenzo Thomas and 
six or seven newspaper men, paid Sherman a flying visit 
at Louisville. Cameron asked Sherman to talk freely 
about the situation, assuring him that the interview was 
entirely confidential. 

Sherman accordingly spoke with his customary frank- 
ness. He complained that the new troops, as fast as they 
were enlisted, were sent either to McClellan or to Fremont, 
and that he got none of them ; that his forces were utterly 
inadequate to cope with the enemy, and that the Rebel 
army under Johnston could take Louisville any day. 
Cameron expressed great astonishment at this, and de- 
clared that the Kentucky Senators and Representatives 
had assured him that they had plenty of men in Kentucky, 
and only needed arms. Sherman said that this was not 



104 SHERMANS REPORT. 

true, that the young men were going over to the Rebels 
wholesale, and that the supply of arms furnished was 
scanty in quantity and defective in quality. 

Cameron was alarmed at these statements, and promised 
to do all in his power to help Sherman. Then Sherman 
unrolled a big map, and pointed out the great importance 
of resisting the Rebel advance along the Kentucky line. 
McClellan was guarding one hundred miles with one hun- 
dred thousand men, and Fremont one hundred miles with 
sixty thousand men, while he had only eighteen thousand 
men to guard over three hundred miles. He ought to have, 
he said, sixty thousand men at once for defensive purposes, 
and if he was to assume the aggressive he would need two 
hundred thousand. These estimates startled Cameron, and 
when he returned to Washington, a few days later, he spoke 
of them as "insane." The word was quickly taken up, 
and soon the whole country was ringing with the startling 
intelligence that the Commander of the Army of the Cum- 
berland was a madman. Before this, however, Sherman 
had written as follows to Adjutant-General Thomas: 

"On my arrival at Camp Dick Robinson, I found Gene- 
ral Thomas had stationed a Kentucky regiment at Rock 
Castle Hill, beyond a river of the same name, and had sent 
an Ohio and an Indiana regiment forward in support. He 
was embarrassed for transportation, and I authorized him 
to hire teams, and to move his whole force nearer to his 
advance-guard so as to support it, as he had information 
; of the approach of ZoUicoffer toward London. I have 
just heard from him, that he had sent forward General 
Schoepf with Colonel Wolford's Cavalry, Colonel Stead- 
man's Ohio Regiment, and a battery of artillery, followed 
on a succeeding day by a Tennessee brigade. He had still 
two Kentucky regiments, the Thirty-eig:hth Ohio, and 



GATHERING VOLUNTEERS. 10$ 

another battery of artillery, with which he was followed 
yesterday. This force, if concentrated, should be strong 
enough for the purpose; at all events, it is all he had or I 
could give him. 

" I explained to you fully, when here, the supposed posi- 
tion of our adversaries, among which was a force in the 
valley of Big Sandy, supposed to be advancing on Paris, 
Kentucky. General Nelson, at Maysville, was instructed 
to collect all the men he could, and Colonel Gill's Regi- 
ment of Ohio Volunteers. Colonel Harris was already in 
position at Olympian Springs, and a regiment lay at Lex- 
ington, which I ordered to his support. This leaves the 
line of Thomas's operations exposed, but I cannot help it. 
I explained so fully to yourself and the Secretary of War 
the condition of things, that I can add nothing new until 
further developments. You know my views, that this great 
centre of our field is too weak, far too weak, and I have 
begged and implored till I dare not say more. 

" Buckner still is beyond Green River. He sent a 
detachment of his men, variously estimated at from two to 
four thousand, toward Greensburg. General Ward, with 
about one thousand men, retreated to Campbellsburg, 
where he called to his assistance some partially-formed 
regiments, to the number of about two thousand. The 
enemy did not advance, and General Ward was, at last 
dates, at Campbellsburg. The officers charged with rais- 
ing regiments must, of necessity, be near their homes to 
collect men, and for this reason are out of position ; but 
at our headquarters near Greensburg and Lebanon, I de- 
sire to assemble as large a force of the Kentucky Volun- 
teers as possible. This organization is necessarily irregular, 
but the necessity is so great that I must have them, and, 
therefore, have issued to them arms and clothing during 



I06 THE INSANITY STOR V. 

the process of formation. This has facilitated their enlist- 
ment ; but, inasmuch as the Legislature has provided 
money for organizing the Kentucky Volunteers, and in- 
trusted its disbursement to a board of loyal gentlemen, I 
have endeavored to co-operate with them to hasten the 
formation of these corps. 

"The great difficulty is, and has been, that, as volunteers 
offer, we have not arms and clothing to give them. The 
arms sent us are, as you already know, European muskets 
of uncouth pattern, which the volunteers will not touch. 

"General McCook has now three brigades — Johnson's, 
Wood's, and Rousseau's. Negley's Brigade arrived to-day, 
and will be sent out at once. The Minnesota Regiment 
has also arrived, and will be sent forward. Hazzard's 
Regiment, of Indiana troops, I have ordered to the mouth 
of Salt Creek, an important point on the turnpike-road 
leading to Elizabethtown. 

" I again repeat that our force here is out of all propor- 
tion to the importance of the position. Our defeat would 
be disastrous to the nation ; and to expect of new men, 
who never bore arms, to do miracles, is not right." 

It does not appear that Secretary Cameron made any 
effectual effort to correct the rumors of Sherman's insanity, 
and the latter accordingly soon found himself a target for 
much merciless criticism. "My position," says Sherman, 
"was unbearable, and it is probable that I resented the 
cruel insult with language of intense feeling." His resent- 
ment added fuel to the flames, and the situation became 
most serious when, at the beginning of November, 
McClellan, who was probably not favorably disposed 
toward him, was made Commander-in-Chief of all the 
armies in the field. One of McClellan's first acts was to 
demand by telegraph, a full report from Sherman of the 



REPORT TO M'CLELLAN-. 10/ 

disposition of the forces in Kentucky. Sherman replied 
as follows on November 4th, addressing himself to the 
Adjutant-General, Lorenzo Thomas : 

" In compliance with the telegraphic orders of General 
McCIellan, received late last night, I submit this report of 
the forces in Kentucky, and of their condition : 

" The tabular statement shows the position of the sev- 
eral regiments. The camp at Nolin is at the present 
extremity of the Nashville Railroad. This force was 
thrown forward to meet the advance of Buckner's army, 
which then fell back to Green River, twenty-three miles 
beyond. These regiments were substantially without 
means of transportation, other than the railroad, which is 
guarded at all dangerous points, yet is liable to interrup- 
tion at any moment, by the tearing up of a rail by the dis- 
affected inhabitants or a hired enemy. These regiments 
are composed of good materials, but devoid of company 
officers of experience, and have been put under thorough 
drill since being in camp. They are generally well clad, 
and provided for. Beyond Green River, the enemy has 
masked his forces, and it is v^ery difficult to ascertain even 
the approximate numbers. No pains have been spared to 
ascertain them, but without success, and it is well known 
that they far out-number us. Depending, however, on the 
railroads to their rear for transportation, they have not 
thus far advanced this side of Green River, except in 
marauding parties. This is the proper line of advance, 
but will require a very large force, certainly fifty thousand 
men, as their railroad facilities South enable them to con- 
centrate at Munfordsville the entire strength of the South. 
General McCook's Command is divided into four brigades, 
under Generals Wood, R. W. Johnson, Rousseau and 
Negley. 



I O 8 S TRA GE TIC FEA TUBES. 

" General Thomas's line of operations is from Lexing- 
ton, toward Cumberland Gap and Ford, which are occupied 
by a force of Rebel Tennesseeans, under the command of 
Zollicoffer. Thomas occupies the position at London, in 
front of two roads, which lead to the fertile part of Ken- 
tucky, the one by Richmond, and the other by Crab 
Orchard, with his reserve at Camp Dick Robinson, eight 
miles south of the Kentucky River. His provisions and 
stores go by railroad from Cincinnati to Nicholasville, and 
thence in wagons to his several regiments. He is forced 
to hire transportation. 

" Brigadier-General Nelson is operating by the line from 
Olympian Springs, east of Paris, on the Covington and Lex- 
ington Railroad, toward Prestonburg, in the valley of the 
Big Sandy, where is assembled a force of from twenty-five 
to thirty-five hundred Rebel Kentuckians waiting rein- 
forcements from Virginia. My last report from him was 
to October 28th, at which time he had Colonel Harris's 
Ohio Second, nine hundred strong ; Colonel Norton's 
Twenty-first Ohio, one thousand ; and Colonel Sill's Thirty- 
third Ohio, seven hundred and fifty strong; with two 
irregular Kentucky regiments, Colonels Marshall and Mat- 
calf. The troops were on the road near Hazel Green and 
West Liberty, advancing toward Prestonburg. 

" Upon an inspection of the map, you will observe these 
are all divergent lines, but rendered necessary, from the 
fact that our enemies choose them as places of refuge from 
pursuit, where they can receive assistance from neighbor- 
ing States. Our lines are all too weak, probably with the 
exception of that of Prestonburg. To strengthen these, I 
am thrown on the raw levies of Ohio and Indiana, who 
arrive in detachments, perfectly fresh from the country, 
and loaded down with baggage, also upon the Kentuckians, 



THE F.N^F MY S ADVANTAGE. Ill 

who aic slowiy ioi;:>iiig legiiiicnts all over the State, at 
points remote from danger, and whom it will be almost 
impossible to assemble together. The organization of this 
latter force is, by the laws of Kentucky, tmder the con- 
trol of a military board of citizens, at the capital, Frank- 
fort, and they think they will be enabled to have fifteen 
regiments toward the middle of this month, but I doubt it, 
and deem it unsa.fe to rely on them. There are four 
regiments forming in the neighborhood of Owensboro', 
near the mouth of Green River, who are doing good 
service, also in the neighborhood of Campbellsville, but it 
is unsafe to rely on troops So suddenly armed and equipped. 
They are not yet clothed or uniformed. I know well you 
will think our force too widely distributed, but we are 
forced to it by the attitude of our enemies, whose force 
and numbers the country never has and probably never 
will comprehend. 

" I am told that my estimate of troops needed for this 
line, viz., two hundred thousand, has been construed to 
my prejudice, and therefore leave it for the future. This 
is the great centre on which our enemies can concentrate 
whatever force is not employed elsewhere." 

Two days- later Sherman wrote again : 

" General McClellan telegraphs me to report to him 
daily the situation of affairs here. The country is so large 
that it is impossible to give clear and definite views. Our 
enemies have a terrible advantage in the fact that in our 
midst, in our camps, and along our avenues of travel, they 
have active partisans, farmers and business-men, who 
seemingly pursue their usual calling, but are in fact spies. 
They report all our movements and strength, while we can 
procure information only by circuitous and unreliable 
means, I inclose you the copy of an intercepted letter, 



112 DOUBT AND ALARM. 

which is but the type of others. Many men from every 
part of the State are now enrolled under Buckner — 
have gone to him — while ours have to be raised in neighbor- 
hoods, and cannot be called together except at long notice. 
These volunteers are being organized under the laws of 
the State, and the lOth of November is fixed for the time 
of consolidating them into companies and regiments. 
Many of them are armed by the United States as home 
guards, and many by General Anderson and myself, be- 
cause of the necessity of being armed to guard their 
camps against internal enemies. Should we be over- 
whelmed, they would scatter, and their arms and clothing 
will go to the enemy, furnishing the very material they so 
much need. We should have here a very large force, 
sufficient to give confidence to the Union men of the 
ability to do what should be done — possess ourselves of all 
the State. But all see and feel we are brought to a stand- 
still, and this produces doubt and alarm. With our present 
force it would be simple madness to cross Green River, 
and yet hesitation may be as fatal. In like manner the 
other columns are in peril, not so much in front as rear, 
the railroads over which' our stores must pass being ex- 
posed. I have the Nashville Railroad guarded by three 
regiments, yet it is far from being safe ; and, the moment 
actual hostilities commence, these roads will be interrupted, 
and we will be in a dilemma. To meet this in part I have 
put a cargo of provisions at the mouth of Salt River, 
guarded by two regiments. All these detachments weaken 
the main force, and endanger the whole. Do not conclude, 
as before, that I exaggerate the facts. They are as stated, 
and the future looks as dark as possible. It would be better 
if some man of sanguine mind were here, for I am forced 
to order according to my convictions." 



THAT " COMMERCIAL'' ARTICLE. II3 

Distrust of Sherman increased at the War Department, 
Whether or not he was really considered insane, the 
Government hesitated to intrust to him the command of 
the increased forces it was presently to place in Kentucky. 
Accordingly, on November 12th, Sherman was relieved 
from command and was sent to the Missouri, to drill and 
organize volunteers. His successor in command at Louis- 
ville was General Don Carlos Buell. The extraordinary 
extent to which the rumors of his mental unsoundness 
were carried, may be appreciated after perusal of the fol- 
lowing passage, which occurred in an editorial in The 
Cincinnati Commercial — a paper supposed to be friendly 
to Sherman — early in December, 1861 : 

" The painful intelligence reaches us in such form that 
we are not at liberty to discredit it, that General W. T. 
Sherman, late Commander of the Department of the Cum- 
berland is insane ! It appears that he was at times, when 
commanding in Kentucky, stark mad. We learn that he 
at one time telegraphed to the War Department three 
times in one day for permission to evacuate Kentucky and 
retreat into Indiana. He also, on several occasions, 
frightened the leading Union men of Louisville almost out 
of their wits by the most astounding representations of 
the overwhelming force of Buckner, and the assertion that 
Louisville could not be defended. The retreat from 
Cumberland Gap was one of his mad freaks. When re- 
lieved from the command in Kentucky, he was sent to 
Missouri and placed at the head of a brigade at Sedalia, 
where the shocking fact that he was a madman was de- 
veloped by orders that his subordinates knew to be pre- 
posterous and refused to obey. He has, of course, been 
relieved altogether from command. The harsh criticisms 
which have been lavished upon this gentleman, provoked 



114 ffOW SHERMAN RECEIVED 11 . 

by his strange conduct, will now give way to feelings of 
the deepest sympathy for him in his great calamity. It 
seems providential that the country has not to mourn the 
loss of an army through the loss of the mind of a General 
into whose hands were committed the vast responsibilities 
of the command in Kentucky." 

This article in The Commercial was based on informa- 
tion furnished by a Washington correspondent of that 
paper. Sherman received a copy of the paper containing 
the editorial while he was with his family at Lancaster. 
He read it carefully, threw down the paper, and exclaimed 
nervously, " Well, now, I shouldn't be surprised if they 
fastened that on me. It's the hardest thing in the world 
for a man to prove himself.sane when many people think 
him insane." His family and friends did not take the mat- 
ter so calmly. They attributed the article to General 
McClellan, and would never be persuaded that he did not 
inspire it. As a matter of fact*, McCleilan's confidential 
adviser. Colonel Key, had actually been sent out to see 
Sherman and to report on his mental condition, and had 
reported that, in his opinion, Sherman was not sufficiently 
master of his judgment to warrant the intrusting to him 
of an important military command. 

It will be of interest to quote at this point from a letter 
which was written some months afterward by General 
Halleck, referring to the current reports of Sherman's 
madness. 

" The newspaper attacks are certainly shameless and 
scandulous, but I cannot agree with you, that they have us 
in their power ' to destroy us as they please.' I certainly 
get my share of abuse, but it will not disturb me." 

Among those who stood by Sherman firmly was Grant, 
who had from the first unbounded faith in him ; a feeling 



THE DONALSON STRA TEG Y. 1 1 5 

which Sherman fully reciprocated. It is told that, late in 
the war, some one sought to win Sherman's favor by 
speaking disparagingly of Grant. " It won't do, sir," said 
Sherman. " It won't do at all. Grant is a great general, 
he stood by me when they said I was crazy, and I stood 
by him when they said he was drunk, and now, by thunder, 
sir, we stand by each other." 

Halleck treated Sherman kindly during the months of 
his career in Missouri, but the popular clamor against him 
continued. After camp inspection work at Sedalia and 
service at Benton Barricks, St. Louis, Sherman was sent 
to Paducah-5 Kentucky, to command the post there. This 
was on February 13th, 1862. At about this time Fort 
Henry and Fort Donelson were captured, and Bowling 
Green was evacuated by the Rebels. It is interestingf to 
recall that one day, just before these great events, Sher- 
man, Halleck and other officers were discussing at St. 
Louis the general plan of the campaign. The question 
arose, *' Where is the Rebel line V It was indicated as 
passing through Bowling Green, Fort Henry, Fort Donel- 
son and Columbus. Halleck asked, " Where should it be 
broken by our forces i*" " In the centre," replied Sher- 
man promptly. Then Halleck pointed out that the line of 
the Tennessee River cut the centre of the Rebel line, and 
that there would properly be the point of attack. As 
Grant conducted the Donelson campaign under Halleck's 
orders, Sherman always felt that Halleck was to be cred- 
ited with the strategy ; but certainly the execution of it 
was due to Grant. 



CHAPTER IX. 

N SHILOH. 

The Gloomy Winter of i 86 1-2 — Exultation over Donelson — Thk 
Advance up the Tennessee — Responsibility for the Encampment 
AT Pittsburgh Landing — Contr®versies over the BatAe — Varying 
Accounts— Sherman's Personal Heroism — Number of Troops* En- 
gaged ON Both Sides — Services of the Army of the Ohio — Losses 
OF the two Armies. 

The winter of 1861-62 was a time of gloom and depres- 
sion to the Union. Vast armies were in the field, and the 
wealth of the Government was being poured out most 
lavishly for their support. Yet they remained chiefly 
inert, while the active and energetic Southern leaders 
strengthened the position of the Rebel hosts and pro- 
moted the claims of the Rebel cause upon the sympathetic 
interest of the world. A few small bodies of Union troops 
encountered the enemy here and there, with results not 
cheering to the Nation. And there was throughout the 
North such a feeling of discouragement and gloom as only 
those who personally experienced it can fully realize. 

The eyes of the Government and of the Nation were 
chiefly fixed upon McClellan, the "Young Napoleon," 
from whom great things were expected. But they were 
to be gladdened not by the glory of his achievements, but 
by a sunburst of victory from another quarter, from that 
116 



UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER. WJ 

very central western region which, according to Sherman's 
bitter complaints, had hitherto been so much neglected. 
The news of the triumphs of Grant and Foote at Forts 
Donelson and Henry, m February, 1862, literally thrilled 
the heart of the Nation, For the first time Northern 
valor was grandly vindicated, and for the first time since 
Bull Run, a cheerful confidence in the victory of the Union 
cause prevailed. " Unconditional Surrender" Grant be- 
came the hero of the hour, and his terse message to 
Buckner, " I propose to move immediately upon your 
works," was exultingly re-echoed from Maine to California. 
Even the stern War Secretary, Stanton, who had suc- 
ceeded Cameron, was moved to enthusiastic expressions of 
joy. 

This campaign on the Tennessee, for the conception 
and direction of which Sherman should doubtless be largely 
credited, was, however, merely the beginning of incom- 
parably greater operations, in which Sherman himself 
played a most important part. After the fall of Donelson, 
Grant incurred the displeasure of Halleck and was re- 
moved from the command of the Army of the Tennessee, 
and General Charles F, Smith, who had distinguished 
himself greatly at Donelson, was appointed to take his 
place. Smith accordingly directed the forward movement 
of the victorious army, southward, up the Tennesse River, 
but presently fell sick, at Savannah, Tennesse, and a few 
weeks later died. Thus Grant was restored to his com- 
mand, and thenceforth was responsible for the conduct 
of the campaign. 

Who was responsible for the encampment of the army at 
Pittsburgh Landing, however, has been a matter of dispute. 
To place the army there, instead of on the other side of 
the river, has been criticised as a serious error. Grant's 



Il8 SHERMAN THE ADVISER OF M'CLERNAND. 

friends have sought to free him from blame by saying that 
the choice was made by Smith, while Grant was in dis- 
grace and practically under arrest. As Smith was dead 
when this statement was made, he x^ould not reply to it. 
Grant himself made no effort to exculpate himself at 
Smith's expense. He has left it on record that when he 
was restored to his command, on March 13th, he found 
his army partly at Savannah, on the northeast bank, and 
partly at Pittsburgh Landing, on the southwest bank, nine 
miles apart. He at once moved them all to the latter 
place, but personally remained at Savannah, awaiting the 
arrival of Buell, who was to join him there with his Army 
of the Ohio. Lew. Wallace was with hia division at 
Crump's Landing, on the southwest bank, five miles below 
Pittsburgh Landing, where he had been placed by Smith 
and where Grant was well satified to let him remain. By 
this acceptance of the place selected by Smith, Grant 
practically approved it; and by remaining.there for three 
weeks, until the battle was fought, he made himself entirely 
responsible for the whole situation, a resposibilitv which 
he never sought to evade. 

Concerning the arrangement and management of the 
Federal army during the three weeks before the battle, 
there have been voluminous and bitter controversies. 
Sherman was in a measure responsible for whatever was 
done, or left undone, since he was at Pittsburgh Landing 
all the lime, while Grant spent half of his time at Savan- 
nah ; and Sherman was the adviser of McClernand, who 
was the actual senior. The Rebels were known to be 
massed in force at Corinth, only a score of m.iles away, 
under their ablest and bravest Gommanders. Sherman 
himself had been, before the rendezvous was made at 
Pittsburgh Landing, sent out to cut the communication 



O VER WHELMING SURPRISE. 1 1 9 

between the two points, to prevent a sudden advance of 
the enemy. In this he had not been successful. The 
errand was then accomplished by W. H. L. Wallace, but 
the damage done was quickly repaired by the Rebels and 
the line of approach restored. With such danger of 
attack istaring them in the face, the troops made no elabor- 
ate preparations for defence. General Buell and other 
critics have charged them with the most astounding and 
culpable negligence. The army, according to Buell, had no 
line or order of battle, although it was on the enemy's ground 
and the enemy was confronting it in force ; it had no de- 
fensive works of any sort ; no outposts, properly speaking, 
to gi\'e warning of or to check the advance of an enemy ; 
and no recognized head in the absence of its Commander, 
who spent half his time nine miles away. And so, con- 
tinues this drastic critic, the enemy advanced upon it and 
formed in line of battle only a mile and a half away with- 
out being checked or even observed ; and the actual attack 
was a complete and overwhelming surprise to the Union 
army. In this view the Rebel commander, General 
Beauregard, coincides, characterizing the a-ttack as " one 
of the most surprising surprises ever achieved." 

Grant made no detailed reply to these charges, merely 
saying, as to the lack of fortifications, that at that time the 
pick and spade were little used in the Western armies, and 
that he considered drill and discipline of more value than 
mere earthworks. Sherman himself thought very highly 
of the Pittsburgh Landing site, as of great strategic im- 
portance and as easy of defence. At a later period ot the 
war, he says, the place might in one night have been ren- 
dered impregnable That it v/as not fortified, he freely 
admits; and he adds that it was probably well that it was 
not thus fortified. It was next to impossible, to move raw 



1 20 SHERMAN BUSY AT PAD UCAH. 

troops from fortified lines in such offensive work as that 
contemplated by Grant and Sherman. The story of a 
surprise, he indignantly repudiates, from first to last. 

As this volume is not written for purposes of contro- 
versy, no discussion of these points will be indulged in 
here. The two sides of the case will be presented to the 
reader, and he may draw his own conclusions, if he has 
not already done so. Whatever that verdict may be, it 
cannot seriously affect the transcendent fame of Sherman. 

Grant was superseded, as we have seen, by C. F. Smith, 
on March 4th, 1862. At this time Sherman was busy at 
Paducah, sending out boats and organizing troops, which 
he hoped soon to be allowed to lead in the field. The 
movement up the river was now begun, and on March loth, 
Sherman, to his great satisfaction, was ordered to join it. 
He at once embarked with his four brigades, and proceeded 
to Fort Henry, where he reported to Smith, and was or- 
dered to wait near by for the remainder of the army. A 
day or two later, he was sent on, escorted by two gunboats, 
to cut the Memphis and Charleston Railroad between 
Tuscumbia and Corinth. On his way up the river he was 
impressed with the importance of Pittsburgh Landing, and 
sent back word to Smith that it ought to be occupied. He 
landed at the mouth of the Yellow River, and tried to 
reach the railroad and destroy it. But the country was 
flooded, and an advance was impossible ; so he returned. 
Smith sent him back to take possession of Pittsburgh 
Landing, along with General Hurlbut, and told him to 
make room there for the whole army. 

Sherman occupied Pittsburgh Landing on March i6th, 
and immediately marched inland about ten miles to a 
cross-road hamlet called Monterey, or Pea Ridge, where 
h# learned that the enemy were gathering in force at 



SHIL OH CHURCH. 1 2 1 

at Corinth. His idea was to take the offensive. To throw 
up fortifications would, he thought, make the raw recruits 
more timid. Presently other divisions came up, until the 
bulk of the army was at the landing. 

Pittsburgh Landing, then, was an insignificant settle- 
ment of two or three cabins on the Tennessee River, near 
the mouth of Snake Creek. The country there is rolling, 
almost hilly. The table-land comes boldly up to the river, 
forming abrupt bluffs along the water-edge. At that 
time the country was well wooded and thinly populated. 
A couple of miles back from the Landing was a little 
log meeting-house, called Shiloh Church, and from this 
the place has become popularly known as the battleground 
of Shiloh. It was at such a place as this that the Union 
army of 32,000 or 33,000 men lay, awaiting the enemy's 
attack, although Sherman was anxious to attack the enemy 
instead. 

About the first of April, the Rebel cavalry began skir- 
mishing and raiding along the front of the Union camp, 
and on April 4th actually captured a number of pickets. 
That was Friday. On Saturday nothing of importance 
occurred, though skirmishing was continued, and the sounds 
of battle were heard at Savannah, where Grant lay abed, 
injured by the fall of his horse. The weather was wet, 
the roads miry. Sunday morning there was more skir- 
m.ishing. then the whole Rebel army came through the 
woods with a rush, and one of the greatest battles of the 
war had begun. 

Accounts of this tremendous conflict vary greatly. In 
the succeeding chapters will be found Sherman's own 
ofificial report, giving his version, and also that of The Gift' 
cinnaii Gazettes correspondent, which presents most 
forcibly the other view — that of the surprise. But upon 



122 SHERMAN WAS SHOT TWICE. 

one point all the numerous narratives are agreed, and that 
is, Sherman's personal valor in the battle, and his consum- 
mate ability in rallying and leading his men in action. 
Grant was on the field on Sunday, going from division to 
division, to encourage the commanders ; but he " never 
deemed it important to stay long with Sherman." Sher- 
man held the most critical position, and his troops had 
never been under fire before. But his constant presence 
inspired them with such courage that the most of them 
stood and fought like veterans of a long campaign. Sher- 
man was shot twice, once in the hand and once in the 
shoulder, and a third bullet passed through his hat ; and 
several horses were shot under him. But nothing made 
him waver for a moment. To him, the post of danger was 
the post of honor. 

The severest critic of Sherman's management at Shiloh, 
was General Buell. Yet he frankly says of Sherman that, 
when he met him on that very field, he appeared a frank, 
brave soldier, ready without affectation or bravado to do 
anything that duty required of him. 

When the battle began on Sunday morning there were 
about 33,000 Federal troops at Pittsburgh Landing, and on 
the evening of that day General Lew. Wallace arrived from 
Crump's Landing with some 5,000 more. But as many 
men fled from the field, panic-stricken, without firing a 
shot, It is not Ukely that on that day there were at any 
time more that 25,000 men in line. This is Grant's esti- 
mate. The next day, Buell came up with the Army of the 
Ohio, 20,000 strong. And then, there were the two gun- 
boats, the Tyler and Lexington, which rendered valuable 
service. 

Reports of the strength of the Rebel force vary. Ac- 
cording to General Beauregard, it contained more than 



THE UNION LOSS IN TWO DAYS. 1 23 

40,000 men on the first day of the battle, although, he 
says, he was not able to get more than 20,000 into action 
on the morning of the second day. Official records state 
that the effective Rebel forces, at the beginning of the 
battle, included 35,953 infantry and artillery and 4,382 
cavalry, a total of 40,335. From these figures it is appar- 
ent that the two armies were, on the first day, by no means 
equally matched, the Rebels having a preponderance of 
about 7,000 men, while on the second day the Union army 
was numerically by far the stronger. 

The Union loss in the two days' fighting was 1,754 killed, 
8,408 wounded and 2,885 captured or missing; total, 13,047. 
Of these, Buell's Army of the Ohio lost 241 killed, 
1,807 wounded and 55 captured or missing; total, 2,103. 
The official report of Rebel losses was 1,728 killed, 8,012 
wounded, and 959 missing; total, 10,699. This, Grant 
says, cannot be correct, for the Union troops after the bat. 
tie buried, by actual count, more Rebel dead than thus 
reported in front of Sherman's and McClernand's divisions 
alone. The estimate of the Union burial parties was that 
fully 4,000 Rebel dead lay on the whole field. 



CHAPTER X. 

OFFICIAL REPORTS ON SHILOH. 

Sherman's Own Story — How his Troops were Posted — The Attack. 
— Troops in Disorder — Grant and Buell at the Bivouac — The 
Battle Resumed in the Morning — Death of General Johnston — 
Gallant Conduct of Individual Officers — Grant's Official Re- 
port — Special Mention of Sherman for his Gallantry as a 
Soldier and his Skill as a Commander. 

Few battles have been more discussed, or more vigor- 
ously discussed, than that of Shiloh, or Pittsburgh Land- 
ing. In these often acrimonious controversies, Sherman 
himself took a leading part. It is doubtful if an agree- 
ment as to the facts in the case can ever be reached ; 
certainly the flood of argument, narration and abuse that 
has been poured forth has not materially tended toward 
such a settlement. The chief point at issue is, whether 
or hot the Federal officers, especially Sherman, were sur- 
prised by the enemy. That they were, and that they were 
not, have both been stated and restated with every pos- 
sible accumulation of emphasis. Perhaps it will best serve 
the present purpose to rehearse here, side by side, two 
narratives of the battle, both written at the time and on 
the spot, the one giving, in his own language, Sherman's 
account of the battle, the other the account written by 
one of the ablest newspaper correspondents in the war. 
124 



SHERMAN'S REPORT. 125 

The gist of Sherman's own report, addressed to Captain 
Rawlins, Grant's Assistant Adjutant-General, was as fol- 
lows : 

"I had the honor to report that on Friday, the 4th 
instant, the enemy's cavalry drove in our pickets, posted 
about a mile and a half in advance of my centre, on the 
main Corinth road, capturing one First Lieutenant and 
seven men ; that I caused a pursuit by the cavalry of my 
division, driving them back about five miles, and killing 
many. On Saturday the enemy's cavalry was again very 
bold, coming down to our front ; yet I did not believe he 
designed anything but a strong demonstration. On Sun- 
day morning, early, the 6th instant, the enemy drove our 
advance guard back on the main body, when I ordered 
under arms all my division, and sent word to General 
McClernand, asking him to support my left; to General 
Prentiss, giving him notice that the enemy was in our 
front in force, and to General Hurlbut, asking him to 
support General Prentiss. At this time, 7 A. M., my 
division was arranged as follows : 

" First Brigade, composed of the Sixth Iowa, Colonel 
J. A. McDowell; Fortieth Illinois, Colonel Hicks; Forty- 
sixth Ohio, Colonel Worthington ; and the Morton Bat- 
tery, Captain Behr, on the extreme right, guarding the 
bridge on the Purdy road, over Owl Creek. 

" Second Brigade, composed of the Fifty-fifth Illinois, 
Colonel D. Stuart ; Fifty-fourth Ohio, Colonel T. Kilby 
Smith; and the Seventy-first Ohio, Colonel Mason, on the 
extreme left, guarding the ford over Lick Creek. 

"Third Brigade, composed of the Seventy-seventh Ohio, 
Colonel Hildebrand ; Fifty-third Ohio, Colonel Appier; 
and the Fifty-seventh Ohio, Colonel Mungen, on the left of 
the Corinth road, its right resting on Shiloh meeting house. 



126 THE FIRST SHOTS. 

" Fourth Brigade, composed of the Seventy-second Ohio, 
Colonel Buckland ; Forty-eighth Ohio, Colonel Sullivan ; 
and Seventieth Ohio, Colonel Cockerill, on the right of 
the Corinth road, its left resting on Shiloh meeting-house. 

" Two batteries of artillery, Taylor's and Waterhouse's, 
were posted, the former at Shiloh, and the latter on a ridge 
to the left, with a front fire over open ground between 
Mungen's and Appier's Regiments. The calvary, eight 
companies of the Fourth Illinois, under Colonel Dickey, 
were posted in a large open field to the left and rear of 
Shiloh meeting-house, which I regarded as the centre of my 
position. Shortly after seven A. M., with my entire staff, 
I rode along a portion of our front, and when in the open 
field before Appier's Regiment, the enemy's pickets opened 
a brisk fire on my party, killing my orderly, Thomas D. 
Holliday, of company H, Second Illinois Cavalry. 

The fire came from the bushes which line a small stream 
which rises in the field in front of Appier's camp, and flows 
to the north along my whole front. This valley afforded 
the enemy cover, but our men were so posted as to have a 
good fire at him as he crossed the valley and ascended the 
rising ground on our side. 

" About eight A. M, I saw the glistening bayonets of 
heavy masses of infantry to our left front, in the woods be- 
yond the small stream alluded to, and became satisfied for 
the first time that the enemy designed a determined at- 
tack on our whole camp. All the regiments of my division 
were then in line of • battle, at their proper posts. I rode 
to Colonel Appier, and ordered him to hold his ground at 
all hazards, as he held the left flank of our first line of bat- 
tle, and I informed him that he had a good battery on his 
right and strong support in his rear. General McCler- 
nand had promptly and energetically responded to my re- 




MAJOR GENERAL O. O. HOWARD. 



THE GENERAL ATTACK. I2f 

quest, and had sent, me three regiments, which were posted 
to protect Waterhouse's battery and the left flank of my 
line. The battle began by the enemy opening a battery in 
the woods to our front, and throwing shell into our camp. 

" Taylor's and Waterhouse's batteries promptly respond- 
ed, and I then observed heavy battalions of infantry pass- 
ing obliquely to the left across the open field in Appier's 
front ; also other columns advancing directly upon my 
division. Our infantry and artillery opened along the 
whole line, and the battle became general. Other heavy 
masses of the enemy's forces kept passing across the field 
to our left, and directing their course on General Prentiss. 
I saw at once that the enemy designed to pass my left 
flank, and fall upon Generals McClernand and Prentiss, 
whose line of camps was almost parallel with the Tennes- 
see River, and about two miles back from it. 

Very soon the sound of musketry and artillery an- 
nounced that General Prentiss was engaged, and about 9 A. 
M. I judged that he was falling back. About this time 
Appier's Regiment broke in disorder, followed by Mungen's 
Regiment, and the enemy pressed forward on Waterhouse's 
Battery, thereby exposed. The three Illinois regiments in 
immediate support of this battery stood for some time, but 
the enemy's advance was vigorous, and the fire so severe 
that when Colonel Raith, of the Forty-third Illinois, re- 
ceived a severe wound, and fell from his horse, his regi 
ment and the others manifested disorder, and the enemy 
got possession of three guns of this (Waterhouse's) bat- 
tery. 

Although our left was thus turned, and the enemy was 

pressing our whole line, I deemed Shiloh so important, that 

I remained by it, and renewed my orders to Colonels 

McDowell and Buckland to hold their ground ; and we did 

8 



1 30 ANO TITER LINE OF DEFENCE. 

hold these positions until about lo o'clock A. M., when 
the enemy had got his artillery to the rear of our left flank, 
and some change became absolutely necessary. Two 
regiments of Hildebrand's Brigade (Appier's and Mun- 
gen's) had already disappeared to the rear, and Hilde- 
brand's own regiment was in disorder. I therefore gave 
orders for Taylor's Battery, still at Shiloh, to fall back as 
far as the Purdy and Hamburgh road, and for McDowell 
and Buckland to adopt that road as their new line. I rode 
across the angle, and met Behr's battery at the cross-roads, 
and ordered it immediately to come into battery, action 
right. Captain Behr gave the order, but he was almost 
instantly shot from his horse, when drivers and gunners 
fled in disorder, carrying off the caissons, and abandoning 
five out of six guns without firing a shot. 

" The enemy pressed on, gaining this battery, and we 
were again forced to choose a line of defence. Hilde- 
brand's Brigade had substantially disappeared from the 
field, though he himself bravely remained. McDowell's 
and Buckland's brigades maintained their organization, and 
were conducted by my aids so as to join on General 
McClernand's right, thus abandoning my original camps 
and line. This was about half-past lo A. M., at which 
time the enemy had made a furious attack on General 
McClernand's whole front. He struggled most determin- 
edly, but finding him pressed, I moved McDowell's Brigade 
directly against the left flank of the enemy, forced him 
back some distance, and directed the men to avail them- 
selves of every cover — trees, fallen timber, and a wooded 
valley to our right. 

" We held this position for four long hours, sometimes 
gaining and at other times losing ground, General McCler. 
nand and myself acting in perfect concert, and struggling 



RESTING FOR THE NIGHT. I3I 

to maintain this line. While we were so hardly pressed, 
two Iowa regiments approached from the rear, but could 
not be brought up to the severe fire that was raging in our 
front, and General Grant, who visited us on that ground, 
will remember our situation about 3 P. M. ; but about 4 P. 
M. it was evident that Hurlbut's line had been driven back 
to the river, and knowing that General Wallace was com- 
ing with re-enforcements from Crump's Landing, General 
McClernand and I, on consultation, selected a new line of 
defence, with its right covering a bridge by which General 
Wallace had to approach. We fell back as well as we 
eould, gathering in addition to our own, such scattered 
forces as we could find, and formed the new line. During 
this change the enemy's cavalry charged us, but were hand- 
somely repulsed by an Illinois regiment, whose number I 
did not learn at that time or since. 

"The Fifth Ohio Cavalry, which had come up, rendered 
good service in holding the enemy in check for some time 
and Major Taylor also came up with a new battery, and 
got into position just in time to get a good flank fire upon 
the enemy's column as he pressed on General McClernand's 
right, checking his advance, when General McClernand's 
Division made a fine charge on the enemy, and drove him 
back into the ravines to our front and right. I had a clear 
field about two hundred yards wide in my immediate front, 
and contented myself with keeping the enemy's infantry 
at that distance during the day. In this position we rested 
for the night. My command had become decidedly of a 
mixed character. Buckland's Brigade was the only one that 
retained organization. Colonel Hildebrand was personally 
there, but his brigade was not. Colonel McDowell had been 
severely injured by a fall of his horse, and had gone to the 
river, and the three regiments of his brigade were not in line. 



132 WAITING FOR DAYLIGHT. 

"The Thirteenth Missouri, Colonel Crafts J. Wright, 
had reported to me on the field, and fought well, retaining 
its regimental organization, and it formed a part of my 
line during Sunday night and all Monday, Other frag- 
ments of regiments and companies had also fallen into my 
division, and acted with it during the remainder of the 
battle. 

" Generals Grant and Buell visited me in our bivouac 
that evening, and from them I learned the situation of 
affairs on other parts of the field. General Wallace arrived 
from Crump's Landing shortly after dark, and formed his 
line to my right and rear. It rained hard during the night, 
but our men were in good spirits and lay on their arms, 
being satisfied v/ith such bread and meat as could be 
gathered at the neighboring camps, and determined to re- 
deem on Monday the losses of Sunday. At daybreak of 
Monday I received General Grant's orders to advance and 
recapture our original camps. 

" I despatched several members of my staff to bring up 
all the men they could find, and especially the brigade of 
Colonel Stuart, which had been separated from the division 
all the day before ; at the appointed time the division, or 
rather, what remained of it, with the Thirteenth Missouri, 
and other fragments moved forward, and occupied the 
ground on the extreme right of General McClernand's 
camp, where we attracted the fire of a battery located near 
Colonel McDowell's former headquarters. 

" Here I remained patiently awaiting for the sound of 
General Buell's advance upon the main Corinth road. 
About lo A. M., the firing in this direction, and its steady 
approach, satisfied me, and General Wallace being on our 
right, flanked with his well-conducted division, I led the 
head of my column to General McClernand's right, formed 



RENEWING THE BATTLE. I33 

line of battle facing south, with Buckland's Brigade directly 
across the ridge, and Stuart's Brigade on its right, in the 
woods, and thus advanced steadily and slowly, under a 
heavy fire of musketry and artillery. Taylor had just got 
to me from the rear, where he had gone for ammunition, 
and brought up three guns, which I ordered into position 
to advance by hand-firing. These guns belonged to Com- 
pany A, Chicago Light Artillery, commanded by Lieutenant 
P. P. Wood, and did most excellent service, 

" Under cover of their fire, we advanced till we reached 
the point where the Corinth road crosses the lihe of 
General McCIernand's camp ; and here I saw, for the first 
time, the well-ordered and compact Kentucky forces of 
General Buell, whose soldierly movement at once gave 
confidence to our newer and less disciplined forces. Here, 
I saw Willich's Regiment advance upon a point of water- 
oaks and thicket, behind which I knew the enemy was in 
great strength, and enter it in beautiful style. Then arose 
the severest musketry-fire I ever heard, and lasted some 
twenty minutes, when this spendid regiment had to fall 
back. This green point of timber is about five hundred 
yards east of Shiloh meeting-house, and it was evident 
here was to be the struggle. The enemy could also be 
seen forming his lines to the south. General McCl^rnand 
sending to me for artillery, I detached to him the three 
guns of Wood's Battery, with which he speedily drove 
them back ; and seeing some others to the rear, I sent one 
of my staff to bring them forward, when, by almost Provi- 
dential decree, they proved to be two twenty-four-pounder 
howitzers belonging to McAllister's Battery, and served as 
well as guns ever could be. 

"This was about 2 P. M. The enemy had one battery 
close by Shiloh, and another near the Hamburgh road. 



134 AROUND THE MEETING-HOUSE. 

both pouring grape and canister upon any volume of troops 
that advanced from the green point of water-oaks. Wil- 
lich's Regiment had been repulsed, but a whole Brigade of 
McCook's Division advanced, beautifully deployed, and 
entered this dreaded wood. I ordered my Second Brigade, 
then commanded by Colonel T. Kilby Smith, (Colonel 
Stuart beingwounded,) to form on its right, and my Fourth 
Brigade, Colonel Buckland, on its right, all to advance 
abreast with this Kentucky brigade before mentioned 
which I afterward found to be Rousseau's Brigade of Mc- 
Cook';5 Division. I gave personal direction to the twenty- 
four pounder guns, whose well-directed fire first silenced 
the enemy's guns to the left, and afterward at the Shiloh 
meeting-house. 

Rousseau's Brigade moved in splendid order steadily to the 
front, sweeping everything before it, and at 4 P. M.,we stood 
upon the ground of our original front line, and the enemy 
was in full retreat. I directed my several brigades to re- 
sume at once their original camps. I am now ordered by 
General Grant to give personal credit where I think it is 
due, and censure where I think it merited. I concede 
that General McCook's splendid division from Kentucky 
drove back the enemy along the Corinth road, which was 
the great centre of the field of battle and where Beaure- 
gard commanded in person, supported by Bragg's, Polk's, 
and Beckinridge's divisions. I think Johnson was killed 
by exposing himself in front of his troops at the time of 
their attack on Buckland's Brigade on Sunday morning, 
although in this I may be mistaken. 

" My division was made up of regiments perfectly new 
all having received their muskets for the first time at 
Paducah. None of them had ever been under fire, or be- 
held hea'v'y columns of an enemy bearing down on th«m, as 



COND UCT OF RAW RECR UITS. 1 3 5 

this did on last Sunday. To expect of them the coolness 
and steadiness of older troops would be wrong. They 
knew not the value of combination and organization. 
When individual fear seized them, the first impulse was to 
get away. My Third Brigade did break much too soon, 
and I am not yet advised where they' were during Sunday 
afternoon and Monday morning. Colonel Hildebrand, its 
Commander, was as cool as any man I ever saw, and no 
one could have made stronger efforts to hold his men to 
their places than he did. He kept his own regiment, with 
individual exceptions, in hand an hour after Appier's and 
Mungen's regiments had left their proper field of action. 

" Colonel Buckland managed his brigade well. I com- 
mend him to your notice as a cool, intelligent and 
judicious gentleman, needing only confidence and experi- 
ence to make a good commander. His subordinates, 
Colonels Sulivan and Cockerill, behaved with great gal- 
lantry, the former receiving a severe wound on Sunday, 
and yet commanding and holding his regiment well in 
hand all day; and on Monday, until his right arm was 
broken by a shot, Cockerill held a larger porportion of his 
men than any Colonel in the divsion, and was with me 
from first to last. 

" Colonel J. A, McDowell, commanding the First 
Brigade, held his ground on Sunday till I ordered him to 
fall back, which he did in line of battle, and when ordered 
he conducted the attack on the enemy's left in good style. 
In falling back to the next position he was thrown from 
his horse and injured, and his brigade was not in position 
on Monday morning. His subordinates, Colonel's Hicks 
and Worthington, displayed great personal courage. 
Colonel Hicks led his regiment in the attack on Sunday, 
and received at wound which is feared may prove fatal. He 



136 SrUAUrS BRIGADE. 

is a brave and gallant gentleman, and deserves well of his 
country. Lieutenant-Colonel Walcutt, of the Ohio Forty- 
sixth, was severely wounded on Sunday, and has been 
disabled ever since. "My Second Brigade, Colonel 
Stuart, was detached near two miles from my headquarters. 
He had to fight his own battle on Sunday against superior 
numbers, as the enemy interposed between him and 
General Prentiss early in the day. Colonel Stuart was 
wounded severely, and yet reported for duty on Monday 
morning, but was compelled to leave during the day, when 
the Command devolved on Colonel T. Kilby Smith, who 
was always in the thickest of the fight, and led the brigade 
handsomely. I have not yet received Colonel Stuart's 
report of the operations of his brigade during the time he 
was detached, and must therefore forbear to mention 
names, Lieutenant-Colonel Kyle, of the Seventy-first, was 
mortally wounded on Sunday, but the regiment itself I 
did not see, as only a small fragment of it was with the 
brigade when it joined the division on Monday morning. 
" Several times during the battle cartridges gave out, 
but General Grant had thoughtfully kept a supply coming 
from the rear. When I appealed to regiments to stand 
fast although out of cartridges, I did so because to retire a 
regiment for any cause has a bad effect on others. I 
commend the Fortieth Illinois and Thirteenth Missouri 
for thus holding their ground under heavy fire, although 
their cartridge-boxes were empty. Great credit is due the 
fragments of men of the disordered regiments who kept in 
the advance. I observed and noticed them, but until the 
Brigadiers and Colonels make their reports, I cannot 
venture to name individuals, but will in due season notice 
all who kept in our front, as well as those who preferred 
to keep back near the steamboat landing. 



GUNS TAKEN ON BOTH SIDES. 1 37 

" The enemy captured seven of our guns on Sanday, 
but on Monday we recovered seven — not the identical 
guns we had lost, but enough in number to balance the 
amount. At the time of recovering our camps, our men 
were so fatigued that we could not follow the retreating 
masses of the enemy ; but on the following day, I followed 
up with Buckland's and Hildebrand's Brigades for six 
miles, the result of which I have already reported. Of my 
personal staff, I can only speak with praise and thanks. I 
think they smelt as much gunpowder and heard as many 
cannon-balls and bullets as must satisfy their ambition. 
Captain Harmon, my Chief of Staff, though in feeble 
health, was very active in rallying broken troops, encour- 
aging the steadfast, and aiding to form the lines of defence 
and attack. I commend him to your notice. Major San- 
ger's intelligence, quick perception and rapid execution, 
were of very great value to me, especially in bringing into 
line the batteries that co-operated so efficiently in our 
movements. Captains McCoy and Dayton, Aidsde-Camp, 
were with me all the time, carrying orders and acting 
with coolness, spirit and courage. 

"To Surgeon Hartshorn and Doctor L'Hommedieu, 
hundreds of wounded men are indebted for the kind and 
excellent treatment received on the field of battle, and in 
the various temporary hospitals created along the line of 
our operations. They worked day and night, and did not 
rest till all the wounded of our own troops, as well as of the 
enemy, were in safe and comfortable shelter. To Major 
Taylor, Chief of Artillery, I feel under deep obligations for 
his good sense and judgment in managing the batteries on 
which so much depended. I enclose his report and en- 
dorse his recommendations. The cavalry of my command 
kept to the rear and took little part in the action, but it 



138 GRANT'S REPORT. 

would have been madness to have exposed horses to the 
musketry fire under which we were complied to remain, 
from Sunday at 8 A. M., till Monday at 4 P. M. Captain 
Kossack, of the Engineers, was with me all the time, and 
was of great assistance. I enclose his sketch of the battle- 
field, which is the best I have seen, and which will enable 
you to see the various positions occupied by my division, 
as well as of the others that participated in the battle." 

Said General Grant in his official report : 

"It becomes my duty again to report another battle 
fought between two great armies, one contending for the 
maintenance of the best Government ever devised, and the 
other for its destruction. It is pleasant to record the suc- 
cess of the army contending for the former principle. 

" On Sunday morning our pickets were attacked and 
driven in by the enemy. Immediately the five divisions 
stationed at this place were drawn up in line of battle to 
meet them. The battle soon waxed warm on the left and 
centre, varying at times to all parts of the line. There 
was the most continuous firing of musketry and artillery 
ever heard on this Continent, kept up until nightfall. 

" The enemy having forced the centre line to fall back 
nearly half way from their camps to the Landing, at a late 
hour in the afternoon a desperate effort was made by the 
enemy to turn our left and get possession of the Landing, 
transports, etc. This point was guarded by the gunboats, 
Tyler and Lexington, Captains Gwin and Shirk command- 
ing, with four twenty-four-pounder Parrott guns, and a 
battery of rifled guns. 

" As there is a deep and impassable ravine for artillery 
or cavalry, and very difficult for infantry at this point, no 
troops were stationed here except the necessary artillerists 
and a small infantry f»rce {•r their support. Just at this 



THE SECOND DAY. 1 39 

moment the advance of Major-General Buell's column and 
a part of the division of General Nelson arrived, the two 
Generals named both being present. An advance was 
immediately made upon the point of attack, and the enemy 
was soon driven back. In this repulse, much is due to the 
presence of the gunboats Tyler and Lexington, and their 
able commanders, Captains Gwin and Shirk. 

" During the night the divisions under Generals Critten- 
den and McCook arrived. General Lew. Wallace, at Camp 
Landing, six miles below, was ordered, at an early hour in 
the morning, to hold his division in readiness to move in 
any direction it might be ordered. At eleven o'clock, the 
order was delivered to move up to Pittsburgh, but owing to 
its being led by a circuitous route did not arrive in time to 
take part in Sunday's action. 

" During the night all was quiet, and feeling that a great 
moral advantage would be gained by becoming the attack- 
ing party, an advance was ordered as soon as day dawned. 
The result was the gradual repulse of the enemy at all points 
of the line, from nine until probably five o'clock in the after- 
noon, when it became evident the enemy was retreating. 
Before the close of the action the advance of General 
T. J. Wood's Division arrived in time to take part in the 
action. 

" My force was too much fatigued, from two days' hard 
fighting and exposure in the open air to a drenching rain 
during the intervening night, to pursue immediately. 
Night closed in cloudy and with a heavy rain, making the 
roads impracticable for artillery by the next morning. 
General Sherman, however, followed the enemy, finding 
that the main part of the army had retreated in good order. 

" I feel it a duty, to a gallant and able officer, Brigadier- 
General W. T. Sherman, to make special mention. He 



140 A LETTER FROM SHERMAN. 

not only was with his command during the entire two days 
of the action, but displayed great judgment and skill in 
the management of his men ; although severely wounded 
in the hand on the first day, his place was never vacant. 
He was again wounded, and had three horses killed under 
him. In making this mention of a gallant ofBcer no dis- 
paragement is intended to other Division Commanders or 
Major-Generals, Jno. A. McClernand, and Lewis Wallace, 
and Brigadier-Generals Hurlbut, Prentiss, and W. H. L. 
Wallace, all of whom maintained their places with credit 
to themselves and the cause." 

A characteristic private letter of Sherman's will be read 
with interest at this point. It was written many years 
after the battle of Shiloh, and was addressed to Mr. 
Marshall P. Wilder, who had sent to Sherman a copy of 
a paper containing a sketch of Shiloh as seen from the 
rear of the army by a drummer boy. This is the letter : 
" No. 75 West Seventy-first Street, 

" New York, Jan. ist, 1890. 

" My Dear Friend : I thank you for sending me the 
printed paper containing the observations and experiences 
of our friend about the battle of Shiloh, or Pittsburgh 
Landing, April 6th and 7th, 1862. Having leisure this 
New Year's Day I have read every word of it, and from 
his standpoint as a boy in the rear of where the hard 
fighting was done his account is literally true. His father 
(a noble gentleman) and I were fighting for time — because 
our enemy for the moment outnumbered us, and we had 
good reason to expect momentarily Lew. Wallace's Divi- 
sion, only six miles off, and Buell's whole army, only 
twenty miles away. By contesting every foot of ground 
the enemy was checked till night. Our re-inforcements 
came on the 7th, we swept on in front and pursued a re- 



THE NEWSPAPERS' ACCOUNT. I4I 

treating enemy ten miles, and afterwards followed up to 
Corinth, Memphis, Vicksburg, etc., to thie end. 

" That bloody battle was fought April 6th and 7th, 
1862. After we had actually driven our assailants back 
to Corinth, twenty-six miles, we received the St. Louis, 
Cincinnati and Louisville newspapers, from which we 
learned that we were 'surprised,' bayonetted in our beds 
(blankets on the ground), and disgracefully routed. These 
reports were heard at the river bank and from steamboats 
under high pressure to get well away, and such is history. 

"In the rear of all battles there is a mass of fugitives. 
We had at the time 32,000 men, of which, say, 5,000 or 
6,000 were at the steamboat landing — but what of the 
others.? A braver, finer set of men never existed on 
earth. The reporters dwell on the fugitives because they 
were of them, but who is to stand up for the brave men 
at the front } We had no reporters with us. Like sensi- 
ble men they preferred a steamboat bound for Paducah and 
Cincinnati, whence they could describe the battle better 
than we who were without pen or ink. 

" This to me is straw already threshed, for we have 
fought this battle on paper several times, a much more 
agreeable task than to fight with bullets. When in England 
some years ago, I was gratified to listen to veterans fight- 
ing Waterloo and Sebastopol over again. So I infer our 
children will continue the fight of Shiloh long after we 
are dead and gone. Wishing you a happy New Year, I 
am, sincerely yours, W. T. Sherman." 



CHAPTER XI. 

" AGATE'S " STORY OF SHILOH. 

The Situation Before the Battle — The First Skirmish — Plans of 
THB Rebel Leaders — The Scene on Sunday Morning — Troops in 
Disorder — Analysis of the Situation — Faulty Disposition of the 
Federal Troops — Arrangement of Sherman's Division — The Rebzl 
Plan of Attack — Sherman's Old Friend Bragg among the Rebel 
Leaders. 

In the records of the Rebellion, written amid the actual 
roar of the conflict or years afterward amid the calm of re- 
established peace, no chapter is more noteworthy than the 
story of Shiloh, written for The Cincinnati Gazette by its 
correspondent " Agate," who has since become famous 
throughout the world for his work as a journalist, historian 
and statesman. No record of Sherman's campaigns would 
be complete without it, and no other pen could write a 
chapter worthy to replace it. So it is given here in full, 
as it was written from the " Field of Battle, Pittsburgh 
Landing, Tenn., April 9th :" 

Fresh from the field of the great battle, with its pounding 
and roaring of artillery, and its keener-voiced rattle of mus- 
ketry still sounding in my wearied ears ; with all its visions of 
horror still seeming seared upon my eyeballs, while scenes 
of panic-stricken rout and brilliant charges, and obstinate 
defences, and succor, and intoxicating success are burned 
£42 



PRELIMINAR Y— THE FIGHT OPENS. 1 43 

alike confusedly and indelibly upon the brain, I essay to 
write what I know of the battle of Pittsburgh Landing. 

Yet how bring order out of such a chaos ? How deal 
justly, writing within twenty-four hours of the closing of 
the fight, with kU the gallant regiments, of the hundred 
present, that bravely won or as bravely lost, and with all 
that ignobly fled in panic from the field ? How describe, 
so that one man may leisurely follow, the simultaneous 
operations of a hundred and fifty thousand antagonists, 
fighting backward and forward for two long days, in a five 
miles' line and over four miles' retreat and advance, under 
eight Division Commanders on one side, and an unknown 
number on the other ? How, in short, picture on a canvas 
so necessarily small a panorama, so grandly great ? The 
task is impossible. 

But what one man, diligently using all his powers of 
observation through those two days, might see, I saw, and 
that I can faithfully set down. For the rest, after riding 
carefully over and over the ground, asking questions fn- 
nurnerable of those who knew, and sifting consistent truth 
from the multiplicity of replies with whatever skill some 
experience may have taught, I can only give the concurrent 
testimony of the actors. 

Our great Tennessee Expedition had been up the river 
some four weeks. We had occupied Pittsburgh Landing 
for about three ; had destroyed one railroad connection, 
which the Rebels had restored in a day or two, and had 
failed in a similar but more important attempt on another. 
Beyond this we had engaged in no active operations. The 
Rebels, alarmed by our sudden appearance, began massing 
their troops under our eyes. Presently they had more in 
the vicinity than we had. Then we waited for Buell, who 
was crossing the country from Nashville by easy marches. 



144 5"/f^ SITUATION BEFORE THE BATTLE. 

The Rebels had apparently become restive under our slow 
concentrations, and General Grant had given out that an 
attack from them seemed probable. Yet we had lain at 
Pittsburgh Landing, within twenty miles of the Rebels, 
that were likely to attack us in superior numbers, without 
throwing up a single breastwork or preparing a single pro- 
tection for a battery, and with the brigades of one division 
stretched from extreme right to extreme left of our line, 
while four other divisions had been crowded in between, 
as they arrived. 

On the evening of Friday, April 4th, there was a pre- 
liminary skirmish with the enemy's advance. Rumors 
came into camp that some of our officers had been taken 
prisoners by a considerable Rebel force, near our lines, and 
that pickets had been firing. A brigade, the Seventieth, 
Seventy-second, and Forty-eighth Ohio, was sent out to 
see about it. They came upon a party of Rebels, perhaps 
a thousand strong, and after a sharp little action drove 
them off, losing Major Crocket, of the Seventy-second 
Ohio, and a couple of lieutenants from the Seventieth, 
prisoners, taking in return some sixteen, and driving the 
Rebels back to a battery they were found to have already 
in position, at no great distance from our lines. General 
Lew. Wallace's troops, at Crump's Landing, were ordered 
out under arms, and they marched to Adamsville, half-way 
between the river and Purdy, to take position there and 
•resist any attack in that direction. The night passed in 
dreary rain, but without further Rebel demonstration ; and 
it was generally supposed that the affair had been an ordi- 
nary picket-fight, presaging nothing more. Major-Gen- 
eral Grant had indeed said there was great probability of a 
Rebel attack, but there were no appearances of his making 
any preparations for such an unlooked-for event, and so 



c 




MAJOR GENERAL SLOCUM. 



THE REBEL DESIGNS. I47 

the matter was dismissed. Yet on Saturday there wag 
more skirmishing along our advanced lines. 

There can be no doubt the plan of the Rebel leaders was 
to attack and demolish Grant's army before Buell's re-in- 
forcements arrived. There were rumors, indeed, that such 
a movement had been expressly ordered from headquarters 
at Richmond, as being absolutely necessary, as a last bold 
stroke, to save the falling fortunes of the Confederacy in the 
West; though of that, no one, I presume, knows anything. 

But the Rebel leaders at Corinth were fully aware that 
they largely outnumbered Grant, and that no measures had 
been taken to strengthen the position at Pittsburgh Landing; 
while they knew equally well that when Buell's entire Ken- 
tucky army arrived, and was added to Grant's forces, they 
could not possibly expect to hold their vitally important 
position at Corinth against us. Their only hope, therefore 
lay in attacking Grant before Buell arrived, and so defeat- 
ing us in detail. Fortunately they timed their movements 
a day too late. 

The sun never rose on a more beautiful morning than 
that of Sunday, April 6th. Lulled by the general security, 
I had remained in pleasant quarters at Crump's, below 
Pittsburgh Landing, on the river. By sunrise I was roused 
by the cry : "They're fighting above." Volleys of musketry 
could sure enough be distinguished, and occasionally the 
sullen boom of artillery came echoing down the stream. 
Momentarily the volume of sound increased, till it became 
evident it was no skermish that was in progress, and that a 
considerable portion of the army must be already engaged. 
Hastily springing on the guards of a passing steamboat, I 
hurried up. 

The sweet Spring sunshine danced over the rippling 
waters, and softly lit up the green of the banks. A few 
9 



148 THE WARNING OF DANGER. 

fleecy clouds alone broke the azure above. A light breeze 
murmured among the young leaves ; the blue-birds were 
singing their gentle treble to the stern music that still came 
louder and deeper to us from the bluffs above, and the frogs 
were croaking their feeble imitation from the marshy 
islands that studded the channel. 

Even this early the west bank of the river was lined 
with the usual fugitives from action, hurriedly pushing on- 
wards, they knew not where, except down stream away 
from the fight. An officer on board hailed numbers of 
them and demanded their reason for being there ; but 
they all gave him the same response : " We're clean cut 
to pieces, and every man must save himself." 

At the landing appearances became still more ominous. 
Our two Cincinnati wooden gunboats, Tyler and Lexing- 
ton, were edging uneasily up and down the banks, eager 
to put in their broadsides of heavy guns, but unable to 
find where they could do it. The roar of battle was start- 
lingly close, and showed that the Rebels were in earnest at- 
tempt to carry out their threat of driving us into the river. 
The landing and bluff above were covered with cowards, 
who had fled from their ranks to the rear for safety, and 
who were telling the most fearful stories of the Rebel onset 
and the sufferings of their own particular regiments. 
Momentarily fresh fugitives came back, often guns in 
hand, and all giving the same accounts of thickening dis- 
asters in front. 

Hurrying out toward the scene of action, I was soon 
convinced that there was too much foundation for the tales 
of the runaways. Sherman's and Prentiss' entire divisions 
were falling back in disorder, sharply pressed by the 
Rebels in overwhelming numbers, at all points. McCler- 
nand's had already lost part of its camps, and it, too, was 



POSITION OF THE NATIONAL TROOPS. 1 49 

falling back. There was one consolation — only one — I 
could see just then ; history, so the divines say, is positive 
on the point that no attack ever made on the Sabbath was 
eventually a success to the attacking party. Nevertheless, 
the signs were sadly against the theologians. 

Let me return — premising that I have thus brought the 
reader into the scene near the close of the first act in our 
Sunday's tragedy — to the preliminaries of the opening of 
the assault. 

And first, of our positions. Let the reader understand 
that the Pittsburgh Landing is simply a narrow ravme, 
down which a road passes to the river bank, be- 
tween high bluffs on either side. There is no town at all 
— two log huts comprise all the improvements visible. 
Back from the river is a rolling country, cut up with nu- 
merous ravines, partially under cultivation, but perhaps the 
greater part thickly wooded with some underbrush. The 
soil clayey, and roads on Sunday morning were good. 
From the Landing a road leads direct to Corinth, twenty 
miles distant. A mile or two out, this road forks, one 
branch is the lower Corinth road, the other the ridge 
Corinth road. A short distance out another road takes off 
to the left, crosses Lick Creek, and leads back to the river 
at Hamburgh, some miles further up. On the right, two 
separate roads lead off to Purdy, and another, a new one, 
across Snake Creek to Crump's Landing on the river be- 
low. Besides these, the whole country inside our lines is 
cut up with roads leading to our different camps; and be- 
yond the lines is the most inextricable maze of cross- 
roads, intersecting everything and leading everywhere, in 
which it was ever my ill-fortune to become entangled. 

On and between these roads, at distances of from two to 
four or five miles from Pittsburgh Landing, lay five divi- 



150 SHERMAN'S POSITION. 

sions of Major-General Grant's army that Sunday morning. 
The advance Hne was formed by three divisions — Brigadier 
General Sherman's, Brigadier-General Prentiss's and 
Major-General McClernand's. Between these and the 
Landing lay the two others — Brigadier-General Hulburt's 
and Major-General Smith's, commanded, in the absence 
(from sickness) of that admirable officer, by Brigadier- 
General W. H. L. Wallace. 

Our advance line, beginning at the extreme left, was 
thus formed. On the Hamburgh road, just this side the 
crossing of Lick Creek and under bluffs on the opposite 
bank that commanded the position, lay Colonel D. Stuart's 
Brigade of General Sherman's Division. Some three or 
four miles distant from this Brigade, on the lower Corinth 
road and between that and the one to Purdy, lay the re- 
maining Brigades of Sherman's Division, McDowell's 
forming the extreme right of our whole advance line, 
Buckland's coming next to it, and Hildebrand's next. To 
the left of Hildebrand's Brigade, though rather behind a 
portion of Sherman's Hne, lay Major-General McClernand's 
Division, and between it and Stuart's Brigade, already 
mentioned as forming our extreme left, lay Brigadier-Gen- 
eral Prentiss' Division, completing the front. 

Back of this line, within a mile of the Landing, lay Hurl- 
but's Division, stretching across the Corinth road, and W. 
H. L. Wallace's to his right. 

Such was the position of our troops at Pittsburgh Landing, 
at daybreak Sunday morning. Major-General Lew. Wal- 
lace's Division lay at Crump's Landing, some miles below, 
and was hot ordered up till about half-past seven o'clock 
that day. 

It is idle to criticise arrangements now — it is so easy to 
be wise after a matter is over — but the reader will hardly 



FAULTS OF ARRANGEMENT. 151 

fail to observe the essential defects of such disposition of 
troops for a great battle. Nearly four miles intervened be- 
tween the different parts of Sherman's Division. Of course 
to command the one, he must neglect the other. McCler- 
nand's lay partially behind Sherman, and therefore, not 
stretching far enough to the left, there was a gap between 
him and Prentiss, which the Rebels did not fail speedily to 
find. Our extreme left was commanded by unguarged 
heights, easily approachable from Corinth. And the whole 
arrangement was confused and ill-adjusted. 

Confusion was not the only glaring fault. General Sher- 
man's camps, to the right of the little log-cabin called Shi- 
loh Church, fronted on a descending slope of a quarter to a 
half mile in breadth, mostly covered with woods and boun- 
ded by a ravine. A day's work of his troops would have 
covered that slope with an impenetrable abattis, thrown a 
line of breastworks to the front of the camps, and enabled 
General Sherman to sweep all approaches with artillery 
and musketry, and hold his position against any force that 
was brought against it. But for three weeks he had lain 
there, declaring the position dangerous, and predicting at- 
tack ; yet absolutely without making the slightest prepara- 
tion for the commonest means of defense. 

During Friday and Saturday the Rebels had marched out 
of Corinth, about sixty thousand strong, in three great 
divisions. Sidney Johnston had general command of the 
whole army. Beauregard had the centre ; Braxton Bragg 
and Hardee the wings. Polk, Breckinridge, Cheatham and 
others held subordinate commands. On Thursday John- 
ston issued a proclamation to the army, announcing to 
them in grandiloquent terms that he was about to lead them 
against the invaders, and that they would soon celebrate 
the great decisive victory of the war, in which they had re- 



152 TROOPS FIRST ATTACKED. 

pelled the invading column, redeemed Tennessee, and pre- 
served the Southern Confederacy. 

Their general plan of attack is said by prisoners to have 
been to strike our centre first, (composed, as the reader 
will remember, of Prentiss's and McClernand's Divisions,) 
pierce the centre, and then pour in their troops to attack 
on each side the wings into which they would thus cut our 
army. 

To accomplish this, they should have struck the left of the 
three brigades of Sherman's Division which lay on our right 
and the left of McClernand's, which came to the front on 
Sherman's left. By some mistake, however, they struck 
Sherman's left alone, and that a few moments after a por- 
tion of their right wing had swept up against Prentiss. 

The troops thus attacked, by six o'clock, or before it, 
were as follows : The left of Sherman's Brigades, that of 
Colonel Hildebrand, was composed of the Fifty-ninth Ohio, 
Colonel Pfyffe ; Seventy-seventh Ohio, Lieutenant-Colonel 
commanding Fifty-third Ohio, Colonel Appier, and Fifty- 
third Illinois. 

To the right of this was Colonel Buckland's Brigade, 
composed of the Seventy-second Ohio, Lieutenant-Colonel 
Canfield ; Forty-eighth Ohio, Colonel Sullivan, and Seven- 
tieth Ohio, Colonel Cockerell. 

And on the extreme right, Colonel McDowell's Brigade, 
Sixth Iowa, (Colonel McDowell — Lieutenant-Colonel com- 
manding;) Fortieth Illinois, Colonel Hicks , Forty-sixth 
Ohio, Colonel Thomas Worthington. 

General Prentiss's Division was composed of the Twelfth 
Michigan, Sixteenth Wisconsin, Eighteenth Wisconsin, 
Eighteenth Missouri, Twenty-third Missouri, Twenty-fifth 
Missouri, and Sixty-first Illinois. 



CHAPTER XII. 

« AGATE'S" STORY CONTINUED. 

The Battle of Sunday, April 6th — The Union Troops Surprised— 
An Army in Disorder — Sherman's Heroic Effort to Stem the Tide 
— McClernand's Share in the Battle — The Rebels Pressing their 
Advantage — The Assault on Sherman's Left — Men too Brave to 
be Killed — Desperate Position of the Union Army — Looking to 
THE Gunboats For aid — Three Desperate Charges Repulsed— 
Death of General Wallace. 

" Agate " continues the story of the great battle of Sun- 
day, April 6th, as follows : 

Almost at dawn, Prentiss's pickets were driven in ; a 
very little later Hildebrand's (in Sherman's Division) were; 
and the enemy were in the camps almost as soon as were 
the pickets themselves. 

Here began scenes which, let us hope, will have no par- 
allel in our remaining annals of the war. Some, partic- 
ularly among our officers, were not yet out of bed. Others 
were dressing, others washing, others cooking, a few eat- 
ing their breakfasts. Many guns were unloaded, accou- 
trements lying pell-mell, ammunition was ill-supplied — in 
short, the camps were virtually surprised — disgracefully, 
it might be added, unless some one can hereafter give some 
yet undiscovered reason to the contrary — and were taken 
at almost every possible disadvantage, 

153 



154 BEGINNING WITH DISASTER 

The first wild cries from the pickets rushing in, and the 
few scattering shots that preceded their arrival, aroused 
the regiments to a sense of their peril ; an instant after- 
ward shells were hurling through the tents, while, before 
there was time for thought of preparation, there came rush- 
ing through the woods with lines of battle sweeping the 
whole fronts of the division-camps, and bending down on 
either flank, the fine, dashing, compact columns of the 
enemy. 

Into the just-aroused camps thronged the Rebel regi- 
ments, firing sharp volleys as they came, and springing 
toward our laggards with the bayonet. Some were shot 
down as they were running, without weapons, hatless, coat- 
less, toward the river. The searching bullets found other 
poor unfortunates in their tents, and there, all unheeding 
now, they still slumbered, while the unseen foe rushed on. 
Others fell, as they were disentangling themselves from 
the flaps that formed the doors to their tents ; others as 
they were buckling on their accoutrements ; a few, it was 
even said, as they were vainly trying to impress on the 
cruelly exultant enemy their readiness to surrender. 

Officers were wounded in their beds, and left for dead, 
who, through the whole two days' fearful struggle, lay 
there gasping in their agony, and on Monday evening were 
found in their gore, inside their tents, and still able to tell 
the tale. 

Such were the fearful disasters that opened the Rebel 
onset on the lines of Prentiss's Division. Similar were the 
fates of Hildebrand's Brigade in Sherman's Division. 

Meantime, what they could our shattered regiments did. 
Falling rapidly back through the heavy woods till they 
gained a protecting ridge, firing as they ran, and making 
what resistance men thus situated might, Sherman's men 



PANIC-STRICKEN TROOPS. 1 55 

succeeded in partially checking the rush of the enemy, long 
enough to form their hasty line of battle. Meantime the 
other two brigades of the division (to the right) sprang 
hastily to their arms, and had barely done so when the 
enemy's lines came sweeping up against their fronts too, 
and the battle thus opened fiercely along Sherman's whole 
line on the right. 

Hildebrand's Brigade had been compelled to abandon 
their camps without a struggle. Some of the regiments, 
it is even said, ran without firing a gun. . Colonel Appier's 
Fifty-third Ohio, is loudly complained of on this score, and 
others are mentioned. It is certain that parts of regiments, 
both here and in other divisions, ran disgracefully. Yet 
they were not wholly without excuse. They were raw 
troops, just from the usual idleness of our " camps of in- 
struction ; " hundreds of them had never heard a gun fired 
in anger; their officers, for the most part, were equally 
inexperienced ; they had been reposing in fancied security 
and were awakened, perhaps from sweet dreams of home 
and wives and children, by the stunning roar of cannon in 
their very midst, and the bursting of bomb-shells among 
their tents — to see only the serried columns of the mag- 
nificent Rebel advance, and through the bhnding, stifling 
smoke, the hasty retreat of comrades and supports, right 
and left. Certainly, it is sad enough, but hardly surpris- 
ing, that under such circumstances, some should run. Half 
as much caused the wild panic at Bull Run, for which the 
nation, as one man, became a loud-mouthed apologist. 

But they ran — here as in Prentiss's Division, of which 
last more in a moment — and the enemy did not fail to 
profit by the wild disorder. As Hildebrand's Brigade fell 
back, McClernand threw forward his left to support it. 
Meanwhile Sherman was doing his best to rally his troops. 



156 PRENTISS'S DIVISION. 

Dashing along the lines, encouraging them everywhere by 
his presence, and exposing his own life with the same free- 
dom with which he demanded their offer of theirs, he did 
much to save the division from utter destruction. Buck- 
land and McDowell held their ground fiercely for a time. 
At last they were compelled to retire their brigades from 
their camps across the little ravine behind ; but here again 
they made a gallant defence, while what was left of Hilde- 
brand's was falling back in such order as it might, and leav- 
ing McClernand's left to take their place, and check the 
wave of Rebel advance. 

Prentiss was faring scarcely so well. Most of his troops 
stood their ground, to be formed into line, but strangely 
enough, the line was drawn up in an open space, leaving to 
the enemy the cover of the dense scrub-oak in front, from 
which they could pour in their volleys in comparative 
safety. 

The men held their position with an obstinancy that 
adds new laurels to the characrer of the American soldiers, 
but it was too late. Down on either flank came the over- 
whelming enemy. Fiercely pushed in front, with a wall of 
bayonets closing in on either side, like the contracting iron 
chamber of the Inquisition, what could they do but what 
they did } Speedily their resistance became less obstinate, 
more and more rapidly they fell back, less and less fre- 
quent became their returning volleys. 

The enemy pushed their advantage. They were already 
within our lines ; they had driven one division from all its 
camps, and nearly opened, as they supposed, the way to 
the river. Just here — between 9 and 10 o'clock — Mc- 
Arthur's Brigade of W. H. L. Wallace's Division came up 
to give some assistance to Stuart's Brigade of Sherman's 
Division on the extreme left, now in imminent danger of 



A DIVISION LOST. 157 

being cut off by Prentiss's defection. McArthur mistook 
the way, marched too far to the right, and so, instead of 
reaching Stuart, came in on the other side of the Rebels, 
now closely pushing Prentiss. His men at once opened 
vigorously on the enemy, and for a time they seemed 
likely still to save our imperilled division. But coming 
unawares, as they seem to have done, upon the enemy, 
their positions were not well chosen, and all had to fall 
back together. 

General Prentiss seems here to have become separated 
from a large portion of his command. The division fell 
into confusion ; fragments of brigades and regiments con- 
tinued the fight, but there was no longer concert of action 
or continuity of lines of defence. Most of the troops 
drifted back behind the new lines that were being formed ; 
many, as they continued an isolated struggle, were sur- 
rounded and taken prisoners. 

Practically, by lo o'clock the division was gone. Gen- 
eral Prentiss and the few troops that surrounded him 
maintained a detached position some hours longer, till they 
were completely cut off and surrounded ; and the Rebels 
signalized their success by marching three regiments, with 
a division general, as prisoners, to their rear. 

By lo o'clock, however, this entire division was virtually 
hors du combat. A deep gap in our front line was made, 
the Rebels had nearly pierced through, and were only 
held back by McArthur's Brigade and the rest of W. H. 
L. Wallace's Division, which hurried over to its assist- 
ance. 

For the present, let us leave them there. They held 
the line from this time until four. 

We left Sherman's Brigade maintaining a confused 
fight, Hildebrand's about gone, Buckland's and McDowell's 



1 5 8 SHERMAN'S DIVISION— M CLERNANUS. 

holding their ground more tenaciously. The firing aroused 
McClernand's Division. At first they supposed it to be 
a mere skirmish ; perhaps even only the irregular dis- 
charge of muskets by guards and pickets, to clean out 
their guns — a practice which, to the disgrace of our disci- 
pline be it said, was well nigh universal — and rendered it 
almost impossible at any time to know whether firing 
meant anything at all, beyond ordinary disorder of our 
own soldiers. But the continued rattle of musketry soon 
undeceived them, and almost as soon the advance of the 
Rebels, pouring after Hildebrand, was upon them. 

The division, it will be remembered, lay a short distance 
in the rear, and with one brigade stretching out to the left 
of Sherman's line. Properly speaking, merely from the 
location of the camp, McClernand did not belong to the 
front line at all. Two-thirds of his division were entirely 
behind Sherman. But as the latter fell back, McClernand 
had to bear the shock of battle. 

His division was composed as follows : First Brigade, 
Colonel Hare commanding, Eighth and Eighteenth Illi- 
nois, Eleventh and Thirteenth Iowa; Second Brigade, 
Colonel C. C. Marsh commanding. Eleventh, Twentieth, 
Forty-eighth and Forty-fifth Illinois, Colonels Ransom, 
Marsh, Haynie and Smith (the latter is the "lead mine 
regiment " ) ; Third Brigade, Colonel Raith commanding, 
Seventeenth, Twenty-ninth and Forty-ninth Illinois, Lieu- 
tenant-Colonels Wood, Farrell and Pease, and Forty-third 
Illinois, Colonel Marsh. Besides this fine show of expe- 
rienced troops, they had Schwartz's, Dresser's, McAllis- 
ter's and Waterhouse's Batteries. 

As already stated, McClernand was first called into 
action shortly after the surprise of Sherman's left Brigade 
(Hildebrand's) — about 7 in the morning — by having to 



^^ CI. ERNAND A T WORK. 1 5 9 

move up his left brigade to support Sherman's retreat- 
ing left, and preserve the line. Then, as Sherman's 
other brigades fell back, McClernand's moved up and 
engaged the enemy in support. Gradually the resistance 
in Buckland's Brigade and what was still left to its right 
of Hildebrand's, became more confused and irresolute. 
The line wavered, the men fell back in squads and com- 
panies, they failed to rally promptly at the call of their 
officers. As they retreated, the woods behind them became 
thinner, and there was less protection from the storm of 
grape that swept as if on blasts of a hurricane among the 
trees. Lieutenant-Colonel Canfield, commanding the 
Seventy-second Ohio, was mortally wounded and borne 
dying from the field. Colonel Sullivan, of the Forty- 
eighth Ohio, was wounded, but continued at the head of 
his men. Company officers fell and were carried away 
from their men. 

At one of our wavering retreats, the Rebels, by a sud- 
den dash forward, had taken part of Waterhouse's Bat'- 
tery, which McClernand had sent them over. Behr's 
Battery, too, was taken, and Taylor's Chicago Light Artil- 
lery was so terribly pounded as to be forced to retire with 
heavy loss. As the troops gave way, they came out from 
the open woods into old fields, completely raked by the 
enemy's fire. For them all was lost, and away went Buck- 
land's and Hildebrand's Brigades, Ohioans and Illinoisans 
together, to the rear and right, in such order as they 
might. 

McDowell's Brigade had fallen back less slowly than its 
two companions of the same division, but it was now left 
entirely alone. It had formed our extreme right, and, of 
course, had no support there ; its supporting brigades on 
the left had gone ; through the space they had occupied 



1 60 A TTA CK ON" AT CLERNANnS RIGHT. 

the Rebels were pouring ; they were in imminent danger 
of being entirely cut off, and back they fell, too, still farther 
to the right and rear, among the ravines that border Snake 
Creek. 

And here, so far as Sunday's fight is concerned, the 
greater part of Sherman's Division passes out of view. 
The General himself was indefatigable in collecting and 
reorganizing his men, and a straggling contest was 
doubtless kept up along portions of his new lines, but with 
little weight in inclining the scales of battle. The General 
bore with him one token of the danger to which he had 
exposed himself, a musket-ball through the hand. It was 
the common expression of all that his escape so lightly 
was wonderful. Whatever may be his faults or neglects, 
none can accuse him of a lack of gallantry and energy 
when the attack was made on his raw division that mem- 
orable Sunday morning. 

To return to McClernand's Division : I have spoken of 
his sending up first, his left, and then his centre brigade, 
to support Sherman, shortly after the surprise. As Sher- 
man fell back, McClernand was compelled to bring in his 
brigades again to protect his left against the onset of the 
Rebels, who, seeing how he had weakened himself there, 
and inspired by their recent success over Prentiss, hurled 
themselves against him with tremendous force. To avoid 
bringing back these troops, a couple of new regiments, the 
Fifteenth and Sixteenth Iowa, were brought up, but taking 
utterly raw troops on the field, under heavy fire, was too 
severe a trial for them, and they gave way in confusion. 
To meet the attack, then the whole division made achange 
of front, and faced along the Corinth road. Here the bat- 
teries were placed in position, and till 10 o'clock the 
Rebels were foiled in every attempt to gain the road. 



GOOD MANAGEMENT OF THE REBELS. l6l 

But Sherman having now fallen back, there was nothing 
to prevent the Rebels from coming in, farther out on the 
road, and turning McClernand's right. Prompt to seize 
the advantage, a brigade of them went dashing audaciously 
through the division's abandoned camp, pushing up the 
road to come in above McClernand, between him and 
where Sherman had been. Dresser's Battery of rifled guns 
opened on them as they passed, and with fearful slaughter — 
not confined, alas ! to one side only — drove them back. 

But the enemy's reserves were most skillfully handled, 
and the constant advance of fresh regiments was, at last 
too much for our inferior numbers. Major Eaton, com^ 
manding the Eighteenth Illinois, was killed ; Colonel 
Haynie was severely wounded ; Colonel Raith, command^ 
ing a brigade, had his leg so shattered that amputation 
was necessary ; Major Nevins, of the Eleventh Illinois, 
was wounded ; Lieutenant-Colonel Ransom of the same 
regiment was wounded; three of GeneralMcClernand's staff, 
Major Schwartz, Major vStewart and Lieutenant Freeman, 
were wounded and carried from the field. Line officers 
had suffered heavily. The batteries were broken up 
Sehwartz had lost half his guns and sixteen horses. 
Dresser had lost several of his rifled pieces, three caissons 
and eighteen horses. McAllister had lost half his twenty- 
four-pound howitzers. 

The soldiers fought bravely to the last — let no man 
question that — but they were at a fearful disadvantage 
Gradually they began falling back, more slowly than had 
Prentiss's regiments, or part of Sherman's, making more 
determined, because better organized, resistance, occasion- 
ally rallying and repulsing the enemy in turn for a hun- 
dred yards, then being beaten back again, and renewing the 
retreat to some new position for fresh defence. 



l62 THE ASSA UL T OAT SHERMAN'S LEFT. 

By 1 1 o'clock the division was back in a line with 
Hurlbut's. It still did some gallant fighting; once its 
right swept around and drove the enemy for a consider- 
able distance, but again fell back, and at the last it brought 
up near the position of W. H. L. Wallace's camps. 

We have seen how Prentiss, Sherman, McClernand were 
driven back ; how, fight as fiercely as they would, they 
still lost ground ; how their camps were all in the hands 
of the enemy ; and how this whole front line, for which 
Hurlburt and Wallace were but the reserves, was gone. 

But the fortunes of the isolated brigade of Sherman's 
Division, on the extreme left, must not be forgotten. It 
was doubly let alone by the Generals. General Grant did 
not arrive on the field till after nearly all these disasters 
had crowded upon us, and each Division General had done 
that which was good in his own eyes, and carried on the 
battle independent of the rest ; but this brigade was even 
left by its Division General, who was four miles away, 
doing his best to rally his panic-stricken regiments there. 

It was Commanded by Colonel David Stuart, (of late 
Chicago divorce-case fame, and ex-Congressman,) and was 
composed of the Fity-fifth Illinois, Lieutenant-Colonel 
Malmbourg, commanding ; Seventy-first Ohio, Colonel 
Rodney Mason ; the Fifty-fourth Ohio, (Zouaves,) Colonel 
T. K. Smith. It was posted along the circuitous road 
from Pittsburgh Landing, up the river to Hamburgh, some 
two miles from the Landing, and near the crossing of Lick 
Creek, the bluffs on the opposite side of which commanded 
the position, and stretching on down to join Prentiss's 
Division on its right. In selecting the grounds for the 
encampment of our army, it seems to have been forgotten 
that from Corinth an excellent road led direct to Ham- 
burgh, a few miles above this left wing of our -forces. 




LIEUTENANT GENERAL SHERIDAN. 



STUARTS BRIGADE. 165 

Within a few days, the oversight had indeed been dis- 
covered, and the determination had been expressed to land 
Buell's forces at Hamburgh, when they arrived, and thus 
make all safe. It was unfortunate, of course, that Beaure- 
gard and Johnston did not wait for us to perfect our pleas- 
ing arrangements. 

When the Rebels marched out from Corinth, a couple 
of brigades (rumored to be under the command of Breckin- 
ridge) had taken this road, and thus easily, and without 
molestation reached the bluffs of Lick Creek, commanding 
Stuart's position. 

During the attack on Prentiss, Stuart's Brigade was 
formed along the road, the left resting near the Lick Creek 
Ford, the right. Seventy-first Ohio, Colonel Rodney Mason, 
(late Assistant Adjutant-General of Ohio, and Colonel 
of the Second Ohio at Manassas,) being nearest Prentiss. 
The first intimation they had of disaster to their right was 
the partial cessation of firing. An instant afterward mus- 
kets were seen glinting among the leaves, and presently a 
Rebel column emerged from a bend in the road, with ban- 
ners flying and moving at double-quick down the road 
toward them. Their supports to the left were further ofi 
than the Rebels, and it was at once seen that, with but one 
piece of artillery a single regiment could do nothing there, 
They accordingly fell rapidly back toward the ford, and 
were re-formed in an orchard near the other regiments. 

The Rebel column veered on further to the right, in 
search of Prentiss's flying troops, and for a brief space, 
though utterly isolated, they were unmolested. 

Before ten, however, the brigade, which had still stood 
listening to the surging roar of battle on the left, was star- 
tled by the screaming of a shell that came directly over 
their heads. In an instant the batteries of the Rebel force 
10 



1 66 A GALLANT ATTACK. 

that had gained the commanding bluffs opposite, by ap- 
proaching on the Corinth and Hamburgh road, were in full 
play, and the orchards and open fields in which they were 
posted (looking only for attack in the opposite direction) 
were swept with the exploding shells and hail-storm rush 
of grape. 

Under cover of this fire from the bluffs, the Rebels 
rushed down, crossed the ford, and in a moment were seen 
forming this side of the creek, in open fields also, and 
within close musket range. Their color-bearers stepped 
defiantly to the front, as the engagement opened furiously, 
the Rebels pouring in sharp, quick volleys of musketry, 
and their batteries above continuing to support them with 
a destructive fire. Our sharp-shooters wanted to pick off 
the audacious Rebel color-bearers, but Colonel Stuart in- 
terposed : " No, no, they're too brave fellows to be 
killed." Almost at the first fire, Lieutenant-Colonel Bar- 
ton S. Kyle, of the Seventy first, was shot through the 
breast. The brigade stood for scarcely ten minutes, when 
it became evident that its position was untenable, and they 
fell rapidly back, perhaps a quarter of a mile, to the next 
ridge ; a few of his men, at great personal risk, carrying 
Lieutenant-Colonel Kyle, in a dying condition, from the 
field they were abandoning. Ohio lost no braver, truer 
man that day. 

As they reached the next woody ridge, Rebel cavalry, 
that had crossed the creek lower down, were seen coming 
up on their left ; and to resist this new attack the line of 
battle was formed, fronting in that direction. For three 
quarters of an hour the brigade stood here. The cavalry, 
finding its purpose foiled, did not come within range. In 
front they were hard pressed, and the Rebels, who had fol- 
lowed Prentiss, bagan to come in on their right. Colonel 



DESPERATE CONDn/OiV OF NATIONAL TROOPS. 167 

Stuart had sent across to Brigadier-General W. H. L. 
Wallace, then not engaged, for support. Brigadier-Gen- 
eral McArthur's Brigade was promptly started across, but 
mistaking the way, and bearing too much on the right, it 
speedily found itself in the midst of the Rebel forces, that 
had poured in after Prentiss. General McArthur could 
thus render Stuart's Brigade no assistance, but he vigor- 
ously engaged the Rebels to his front and flanks, fell back 
to a good position, and held these troops in bay till the rest 
of his division came up to his aid. General McArthur was 
himself disabled by a wound in the foot, but he rode into a 
hospital, had it dressed, and retured to the brigade, which 
meantime sturdily held its position. 

But this brought Stuart's isolated brigade little help. 
They were soon forced to fall back to another ridge, then 
to another, and finally, about 12 o'clock, badly shattered 
and disordered, they retreated to the right and rear, falling 
in behind General McArthur's Brigade to reorganize. 
Colonel Stuart was himself wounded by a ball through his 
right shoulder, and the loss of field and company-officers 
was sufficient to greatly discourage the troops. 

This clears our entire front line of divisions. The 
enemy has full possession of all Sherman's, Prentiss's, and 
McClernand's camps. By 10 o'clock our whole front, 
except Stuart's Brigade, had given way, and the burden of 
the fight was resting on Hurlbut and W. H. L. Wallace. 
Before 12 Stuart, too, had come back, and for the time 
absolutely only those two divisions stood between our 
army and destruction or surrender. 

Still all was not lost. Hurlbut and Wallace began 
making a most gallant stand ; and meantime most of the 
troops from the three driven divisions were still to some 
extent available. Many of them had wandered down the 



l68 LOOKING TO THE GUN BOATS. 

river — some as far as Crump's Landing, and some even to 
Savannah. These were brqught back again on transports. 
Lines of guards were extended to prevent skulkers from 
getting back to the Landing, and especially to stop the 
shrewd dodge among the cravans of taking six or eight 
able-bodied soldiers to assist some slightly-wounded fellow 
into the hospital ; and between this cordon and the rear of 
the fighting divisions the fragments of regiments were 
reorganized after a fashion, and sent back to the field. 
Brigades could not be got together again, much less divis- 
ions, but the regiments pieced together from the loose 
squads that could be gathered and officered, often by men 
who could find scarcely a soldier of their own commands, 
were hurried to the front, and many of them did good 
service. 

It was fortunate for us that the accidental circumstance 
that Prentiss's portion of our lines had been completely 
broken sooner than any of the rest, had caused the enemy's 
onset to veer chiefly to our left. There we were tol- 
erably safe ; and at worst, if the Rebels drove us to the 
river on the left flank, the gun boats would come into play. 
Our weakest point was the right, and to turning this the 
Rebels do not seem to have paid so much attention on 
Sunday. 

According to general understanding, in the event of an 
attack at Pittsburgh Landing, Major-General Lew. Wal- 
lace was to come in on our right and flank the Rebels by 
marching across from Crump's Landing below. Yet 
strangely enough, Wallace, though with his division all 
drawn up and ready to march anywhere at a moment's no- 
tice, was not ordered to Pittsburgh Landing till nearly if 
not quite 12 o'clock. Then through misdirection as to the 
way to come in on the flank, four miles of marching were 



nURLBUTS DJVISJON. 169 

lost, and the circuitous route made it twelve miles more, 
before they could reach the scene of battle. Meantime 
our right was almost wholly unprotected. Fortunately, as 
I said, however, the Rebels do not seem to have discovered 
the full extent of this weakness, and their heaviest fight- 
ing was done on the centre and left, where we still pre- 
served our line. 

Hurlbut's Division, it will be remembered, stretched 
across the Corinth road, facing rather to our left. W. H. 
L. Wallace's other brigades had gone over to assist Mc- 
Arthur, and the division, thus reunited, steadily closed the 
line, where Prentiss's Division and Stuart's Brigade, in 
their retreat, had left it open. To Hurlbut's right the 
lines were patched out with the reorganized regiments 
that had been resent to the field. McClernand and Sher- 
man were both there. 

Hurlbut had been encamped in the edge nearest the 
river, of a stretch of open fields, backed with heavy tim- 
ber. Among his troops were the Seventeenth and Twenty- 
fifth Kentucky, Forty-fourth and Thirty-first Indiana, con- 
stituting Lauman's Brigade ; Third Iowa, Forty-first Illinois 
and some others, forming Colonel Williams' Brigade. 

As Prentiss fell back, Hurlbut's left aided Wallace in 
sustaining the Rebel onset, and when McClernand gave 
way, the remainder of the division was thrown forward. 
The position beyond the camp, however, was not a good 
one, and the division was compelled to fall back through 
its camp to the thick woods behind. Here, with open 
fields before them, they could rake the Rebel approach. 
Nobly did they now stand their ground. From 10 to half- 
past 3 they held the enemy in check, and through nearly 
that whole time were actively engaged. Hurlbut himself 
displayed the most daring and brilliant gallantry, and his 



170 A DEATH GRAPPLE OF HEROES. 

example, with that of the brave officers under him, nerved 
the men to the sternest endurance. 

Three times during those long hours the heavy Rebel 
masses on the left charged upon the division, and three 
times were they repulsed, with terrible slaughter. Close, 
sharp, continuous musketry, whole lines belching fire on 
the Rebels as the leaden storm swept the fields over which 
they attempted to advance, were too much for Rebel dis- 
cipline, though the bodies left scattered over the fields, even 
on Monday evening, bore ghastly testimony to the daring 
with which they had been precipitated toward our lines. 

But there is still much in the Napoleonic theory that 
Providence has a tendency at least to go with the heaviest 
battalions. The battalions were against us. The Rebel 
generals, too, handled their forces with a skill that extorted 
admiration in the midst of our suffering. Repulse was 
nothing to them. A rush on our lines failed ; they took 
their disordered troops to the rear, and sent up fresh 
troops, who, unknowing the fearful reception awaiting 
them, were ready to try it again. The jaded division was 
compelled to yield, and after six hours' magnificent fight- 
ing, it fell back out of sight of its camps, and to a point 
within half a mile of the Landing. 

Let us turn to the fate of Hurlbut's companion divi- 
sion — that of Brigadier-General W. H. L. Wallace, which 
included the Second and Seventh Iowa, Ninth and Twenty- 
eighth Illinois, and several of the other regiments com- 
posing Major-General Smith's old division; with also three 
excellent batteries. Stone's, Richardson's and Weber's (all 
from Missouri), forming an artillery battalion, under the 
general management of Major Cavender. 

Here, too, the fight began about ten o'clock, as already 
described. From that time until four in the afternoon 



DEATH OF GENERAL WALLACE. 171 

they manfully bore up. The musketry fire was absolutely 
continuous ; there was scarcely a moment that some par", 
of the line was not pouring in it rattling volleys, and the 
artillery was admirably served, with but little intermission 
through the entire time. 

Once or twice the infantry advanced, attempting to drive 
the continually increasing enemy, but though they could 
hold what they had, their numbers were not equal to the 
task of conquering any more. 

Four separate times the Rebels attempted to turn to 
charge on them. Each time the infantry poured in its 
quickest volleys, the artillery redoubled its exertions, and 
the Rebels retreated with heavy slaughter. The division 
was eager to remain, even when Hurlbut fell back, and the 
fine fellows with the guns were particularly indignant at 
not being permitted to pound away. But their supports 
were gone on either side ; to have remained in isolated 
advance would have been madness. Just as the necessity 
for retreating was becoming apparent, General Wallace, 
whose cool, collected bravery had commanded the admira- 
tion of all, was mortally wounded, and borne away from 
the field. At last the division fell back. Its soldiers 
claim — justly, I believe — the proud distinction of being 
the last to yield, in the general break of our Unes, that 
gloomy Sunday afternoon, which, at half past four o'clock, 
had left most of our army within half a mile of the Landing, 
with the Rebels up to a thousand yards of their position. 

Captain Stone could not resist the temptation of stop- 
ping, as he passed what kad been Hurlbut's headquarters, 
to try a few parting shots. He did fine execution, but 
narrowly escaped losing some guns, by having his wheel 
horses shot down. Captain Walker did lose a twenty 
pounder through some breakage in the carriage. It was 
recovered again on Monday. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

«• AGATE'S" STORY CONTINUED. 

The Close of Sunday's Fight — What had been Lost During the Day 

Five Thousand Cowards on the River Bank — Opportune Arrival 

OF General Buell — The Grand Attack and its Grand Repulse — 
Aid from the Gunboats — The Night Between Two Battles — Des- 
perate Preparations for the Morrow — Gunboats on Guard 
Through the Darkness. 

The remainder of Sunday's desperate fighting, and the 
grim preparations and anxieties of Sunday night, are re- 
hearsed by " Agate " thus : 

We have reached the last act in the tragedy of Sunday. 
It is half-past 4 o'clock. Our front line of divisions has 
been lost since half-past 10. Our reserve line is now gone, 
too. The Rebels occupy the camps of every division save 
that of W. H. L. Wallace. Our whole army is crowded 
in the region of Wallace's camps, and to a circuit of one" 
half to two-thirds of a mile around the Landing. We have 
been falling back all day. We can do it no more. The 
next repulse puts us into the river, and there are not trans- 
ports enough to cross a single division till the enemy would 
be upon iis. 

Lew. Wallace's Division might turn the tide for us — it 

is made of fighting men — but where is it ? Why has it not 

been thundering on the right for three hours past ? We 

do not know yet that it was not ordered up till noon. 

172 



HE A VY L OSSES. I / 3 

Buell is coming, but he has been doing it all day, and all 
last week. His advance-guard is across the river now, 
waiting ferriage; but what is an advance-guard, with sixty 
thousand victorious foes in front of us ? 

We have lost nearly all our camps and camp equipage. 
We have lost nearly half our field artillery. We have lost 
a division general and two or three regiments of our 
soldiers as prisoners. We have lost — how dreadfully we 
are afraid to think — in killed and wounded. The hospitals 
are full to overflowing. A long ridge bluff is set apart for 
surgical uses. It is covered with the maimed, the dead 
and dying. And our men are discouraged by prolonged 
defeat. Nothing but the most energetic exertion on the 
part of the officers, prevents them from becoming demor- 
alized. Regiments have lost their favorite field-officers ; 
companies the captains whom they have always looked to, 
with that implicit faith the soldier learns, to lead them to 
battle. 

Meanwhile, there is a lull in the firing. For the first 
time since sunrise you fail to catch the angry rattle of 
musketry or the heavy booming of the field-guns. Either 
the enemy must be preparing for the grand, final rush that 
is to crown the day's success and save the Southern Con- 
federacy, or they are puzzled by our last retreat, and are 
moving cautiously, lest we spring some trap upon them. 
Let us embrace the opportunity, and look about the Land- 
ing. We pass the old log-house, lately post office, now 
full of wounded and surgeons, which constitute the "Pitts- 
burgh " part of the landing. General Grant and staff are 
in a group beside it. The general is confident. " We can 
hold them off till to-morrow ; and they'll be exhausted, and 
we'll go at them, with fresh troops." A great crowd is 
collected around the building — all in uniforms, most of 



174 COWARDS. 

tbem with guns. And yet we are needing troops in the 
front so sorely ! 

On the bluffs above the river is a sight that may well 
make our cheeks tingle. There are not less than five 
thousand skulkers lining the banks ! Ask them why they 
don't go to their places in the line : " Oh ! our regiment 
is all cut to pieces." " Why don't you go to where it is 
forming again.?" "I can't find it," and the hulk looks as 
if that would be the very last thing he would want to do. 

Officers are around among them, trying to hunt up their 
men, storming, coaxing, commanding — cursing I am afraid. 
One strange fellow — a Major, if I remember aright — is 
making a sort of elevated, superfine Fourth of July speech 
to everybody that will Hsten to him. He means well, 
certainly : " Men of Kentucky, of Illinois, of Ohio, of 
Iowa, of Indiana, I implore you, I beg of you, come up 
now. Help us through two hours more. By all that you 
hold dear, by the homes you hope to defend, by the flag 
you love, by the States you honor, by all our love of 
country, by all your hatred of treason, I conjure you, 
come up and do your duty, now!" And so on for 
quantity. "That feller's a good speaker," was the only 
response I heard, and the fellow who gave it nestled more 
snugly behind his tree as he spoke. 

I knew well enough the nature of the skulking animal 
in an army during a battle. I had seen their performances 
before, but never on so large a scale, never with such an 
utter sickness of heart while I look, as now. Still, I do 
not believe there was very much more than the average 
percentage. It was a big army, and the runaways all 
sought the landing. 

Looking across the Tennessee we see a body of cavalry, 
awaiting the transportation over. They are said to be 



ARRIVAL OF GENERAL BUELL. 1 75 

Buell's advance, yet they have been there an hour or two 
alone. But suddenly there is a rustle among the run- 
aways. It is ! It is ! You see the gleaming of the gun- 
barrels, you catch amid the leaves and undergrowth down 
the opposite side of the river, glimpses of the steady, 
swinging tramp of trained soldiers. A Division of Buell's 
army is here ! And the men who have left their regiments 
on the field send up three cheers for Buell. They cheer- 
ing ! May it parch their throats, as if they had been 
breathing the simoon ! 

Here comes a boat across with a Lieutenant, and two or 
three privates of the signal corps. Some orders are in- 
stantly given the officer, and as instantly telegraphed to 
the other side by the mysterious wavings and raisings and 
droppings of the flags. A steamer comes up with pontoons 
on board, with which a bridge could be speedily thrown 
across. Unaccountably enough, to on-lookers, she slowly 
reconnoiters and steams back again. Perhaps, after all 
it is better to have no bridge there. It simplifies the 
question, takes escape out of the count, and leaves its 
victory or death — to the cowards, that slink behind the 
bluffs as well as to the brave men who peril their lives to 
do the State some service on the fields beyond. Prepar- 
ations go rapidly forward for crossing the Division (Gene- 
ral Nelson's, which has the advance of Buell's army) on 
the dozen or so transports that have been tied up along 
the bank. 

We have spent but a few minutes on the bluff, but they 
are the golden minutes that count for years. Well was 
it for that driven, defeated, but not disgraced army of Gene- 
ral Grant's that those minutes were improved. Colonel 
Webster, Chief of Staff, and an artillery officer of no 
mean ability, had arranged the guns that he could collect 



lyS GOLDEN MOMENTS. 

of those that remained to us in a sort of semi-circle, pro- 
tecting the Landing, and bearing chiefly on our centre and 
left, by which the Rebels were pretty sure to advance. 
Corps of artillerists to man them were improvised from all 
the batteries that could be collected. Twenty-two guns 
in all were placed in position. Two of them were heavy 
siege-guns, long thirty-two. Where they came from I do 
not know ; what battery they belonged to I have no idea ; 
I only know that they were there, in the right place, half 
a mile back from the bluff, sweeping the approaches by the 
left, and by the ridge Corinth road ; that there was nobody 
to work them ; that Doctor Cornyn, Surgeon of Frank 
Blair's Old First Missouri Artillery, proffered his services, 
that they were gladly accepted, and that he did work them 
to such effect as to lay out ample work for scores of his 
professional brethren on the other side of the fight. 

Remember the situation. It was half past four o'clock 
— perhaps a quarter later still. Every division of our army 
on the field had been repulsed. The enemy were in the 
camps of four out of five of them. We were driven to 
within a little over half a mile of the Landing. Behind us 
was a deep, rapid river. Before us was a victorious enemy. 
And still there was an hour for fighting. " Oh ! that night, 
or Blucher, would come ! " Oh ! that night, or Lew. Wal- 
lace, would come ! Nelson's Division of General Bucll's 
army evidently couldn't cross in time to do us much good. 
We didn't yet know why Lew. Wallace wasn't on the 
ground. In the justice of a righteous cause, and in that 
semi-circle of twenty-two guns in position, lay all the hope 
we could see. 

Suddenly a broad, sulphurous flash of light leaped out 
from the darkening woods ; and through the glare and 
smoke came whistling the leaden hail. The Rebels were 



THE CRISIS OF THE DA Y. 1 77 

making their crowning effort for the day, and as was expec- 
ted when our guns were hastily placed, they came from our 
left and centre. They had wasted their fire at one thou- 
sand yards. Instantaneously our deep-mouthed bull-dogs 
flung out their sonorous response. The Rebel artillery 
opened, and shell and round-shot came tearing across the 
open space back of the bluff. May I be forgiven for the 
malicious thought, but I certainly did wish one or two 
might drop behind the bluff among the crowd of skulkers 
hovering under the hill at the river's edge. 

Very handsome was the response our broken infantry 
battalions poured in. The enemy soon had reason to re- 
member that, if not " still in their ashes live the wonted 
fires," at least still in the fragments lived the ancient valor 
that had made the short-lived Rebels' successes already 
cost so dear. 

The Rebel infantry gained no ground, but the furious 
cannonading and musketry continued. Suddenly new 
actors entered on the stage. Our Cincinnati wooden gun- 
boats, the A. O. Taylor and the Lexington, had been all 
day impatiently chafing for their time to come. The 
opportunity was theirs. The Rebels were attacking on 
our left, lying where Stuart's Brigade had lain on Licking 
Creek in the morning, and stretching thence in on the 
Hamburgh Road, and across toward our old centre as far 
as Hurlbut's camps. Steaming up to the mouth of the 
little creek, the boats rounded to. There was the ravine, 
cut through the bluff as if on purpose for their shells. 

Eager to avenge the death of their commanding General 
(now known to have been killed a couple of hours before) 
and to complete the victory they believed to be within 
their grasp, the Rebels had incautiously ventured within 
reach of their most dreaded antagonists, as broadside after 



IjS THE GUN BOATS OPEN FIRE. 

broadside of seven-inch shells and sixty-four-pounds shot 
soon taught them. This was a foe they had hardly counted 
on, and the unexpected fire in flank and rear sadly discon- 
certed their well-laid plans. The boats fired admirably, 
and with a rapidity that was astonishing. Our twenty- 
two land-guns kept up their stormy thunder ; and thus, 
amid a crash and roar and scream of shells and demon- 
like hiss of minie-balls, the Sabbath evening wore away. 
We held the enemy at bay ; it was enough. The prospects 
for the morrow was foreboding ; but sufficient unto the day 
is the evil thereof. We had plenty of evil that day — of 
course, therefore, the text was applicable. Before dark 
the Thirty-sixth Indiana, from Nelson's Advance Brigade, 
had crossed, advanced into line with Grant's forces at the 
double-quick, and had put in fourteen rounds as an earnest 
of what should be forth-coming on the morrow. 

The enemy suddenly slackened his fire. His grand 
object had been defeated ; he had not finished his task in 
a day ; but there is evidence that officers and men alike 
shared the confidence that their morning assault would be 
final. 

As the sounds of battle died away, and Division Gen- 
erals drew off their men, Buell had arrived, and Lew. 
Wallace had been heard from. Both would be ready by 
morning. It was decided that as soon as possible after 
daybreak we should attack the enemy, now snugly quartered 
in our camps. Lew. Wallace, who was coming in on the 
new road from Crump's Landing, and crossing Snake 
Creek just above the Illinois Wallace (W. H. L.) camps, 
was to take the right and sweep back towards the position 
from which Sherman had been driven on Sunday morning. 
Nelson was to take the extreme left. Buell promised to 
put in Tom Crittenden next to Nelson, and McCook next 



RESTTNG Oy THEIR ARMS. 1^9 

to him by a seasonable hour in the morning. The gap be- 
tween McCook and Lew, Wallace was to be filled with the 
reorganized division of Grant's old army ; Hurlbut coming 
next to McCook, then McClernand and Sherman closing 
the gap between McClernand and Lew. Wallace. 

Stealthily the troops crept to their new positions and lay 
down in line of battle on their arms. All through the night 
Buell's men were marching up from Savannah to the point 
opposite Pittsburgh Landing and being ferried across, or 
were coming up on transports. By an hour after dark Lew. 
Wallace had his division in. Through the misdirection he 
had received from General Grant at noon, he had started 
on the Snake Creek road proper, which would have brought 
him in on the enemy's rear, miles from support, and where 
he would have been gobbled at a mouthful. Getting back 
to the right road had delayed him. He at once ascertained 
the position of certain Rebel batteries which lay in front 
of him on our right, that threatened absolutely to bar his 
advance in the morning, and selected positions for a couple 
of his batteries, from which they could silence the one he 
dreaded. Placing these in position, and arranging his brig- 
ades for support, took him till one o'clock in the morning 
Then his wearied men lay down to snatch a few hours of 
sleep before entering into the Valley of the Shadow of 
Death on the morrow. 

By nine o'clock all was hushed near the Landing, 
The host of combatants that three hours before had been 
deep in the work of human destruction had all sunk silently 
to the earth, "the wearied to sleep, the wounded to die." 
The stars looked out upon the scene, and all breathed the 
natural quiet and calm of a Sabbath evening. But pres- 
ently there came a flash that spread like sheet lightning 
over the ripples of the river-c«rrent, and the roar of a heavy 



l80 GUN BOATS ON GUARD. 

naval gun went echoing up and down the bluffs, through 
the unnatural stillness of the night. Others speedily fol- 
lowed. By the flash you could just discern the black out- 
line of the piratical-looking hull, and see how the gunboat 
gracefully settled into the water at the recoil : the smoke 
soon cast up a thin veil that seemed only to soften and 
sweeten the scene, from the woods away inland you caught 
faintly the muffled explosion of the shell, like the knell of 
the spirit that was taking its flight. 

We knew nothing then of the effect of this gunboat can- 
nonading, which was vigorously kept up till nearly morn- 
ing, and it only served to remind us the more vividly of 
the day's disasters, of the fact that half a mile off lay a 
victorious enemy, commanded by the most dashing of their 
generals, and of the question one scarcely dared ask him- 
self : " What to-morrow } " We were defeated, our dead 
and dying were around us, days could hardly sum up our 
losses. And then there came up that grand refrain of 
Whittier's — written after Manassas, I believe, but on that 
night, apparently far more applicable to this greater than 
Manassas — " Under the Cloud and Through the Sea." 

" Sons of the Saints who faced their Jordan flood, 

In fierce Atlantic's unretreating wave — 
Who by the Red Rea of their glorious blood 

Reached to the Freedom that your blood shall save ! 

O, countrymen ! God's day is not yet done ! 

He leaveth not his people utterly ! 
Count it a covenant, that he leads us on 

Beneath the clouds and through the crimson sea ? 




MAJOR GENERAL BUTTERFIELD. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

"AGATE'S" STORY CONCLUDED. 

The Work of Sunday Night — Landing of Buell's Troops — Effect of 
THE Bombardment — Lack of System in the Union Army — Renewing 
THE Battle — A Change of Tactics— Turning the Tide — Critten- 
den's Advance — The Advance at the Centre — A Grand Parade on 
THE Field of War — Redeeming the Losses of Sunday — Facing the 
Louisiana Troops — Silencing the Battery — End of the Gre,.t 
Struggle. 

After giving the roll of the Federal troops engaged at 
Shiloh, "Agate" concludes his remarkable narrative as 
follows : 

With the exception of the gunboat bombardment, the 
night seemed to have passed in entire quiet, A heavy 
thunder-storm had come up about midnight, and though 
we were all shivering over the ducking, the surgeons 
assured us that a better thing could not have happened. 
The ground, they said, was covered with wounded not yet 
found, or whom we were unable to bring from the field. 
The moisture would to some extent cool the burning, 
parching thirst, which is one of the chief terrors of lying 
wounded and helpless on the battle-field, and the falling 
water was the best dressing for the wounds. 

The regiments of Buell's Divisions were still disembark- 
ing at the Landing. Many had taken their places, the 
11 183 



1 84 EFFECT OF THE BOMBARDMENT. 

rest hurried out as fast as they landed, and fell in, to the 
rear of their brigade-lines, for reserves. I stood for a few 
moments at the Landing, curious to see how these fine fel- 
lows would march out to the field where they knew re- 
verses had crowded so thickly upon us the day before, and 
where many of them must lie down to sleep his last sleep 
ere the sun, then rising, should sink again. There was 
little of that vulgar vanity of valor which was so conspicuous 
in all the movements of our rawer troops eight or nine 
months ago. There was no noisy and senseless yelling, no 
shouting of boasts, no calling on on-lookers, to " show us 
where the cowardly Secesh is, and we'll clean 'em out 
double-quick." These men understood the work before 
them ; they went to it as brave men should, determinedly, 
hopefully, calmly. 

It soon became evident that the gunboat bombardment 
through the night had not been without a most important 
effect in changing the conditions under which we renewed 
the struggle. The sun had gone down with the enemy's lines 
clasping us tightly on the centre and left, pushing us to 
the river, and leaving us little over half a mile out of all 
the broad space we had held in the morning. The gun- 
boats had cut the coils, and loosened the constriction. As 
we soon learned, their shells had made the old position on 
our extreme left, which the Rebels had been pleasantly 
occupying, utterly untenable. Instead of being able to 
slip up on us through the night, as they had probably 
intended, they were compelled to fall back from point to 
point ; each time as they had found places, they thought, 
out of range, a shell would come dropping in. Nowhere 
within range could they lie, but the troublesome visitors 
would find them out ; and to end the matter, they fell back 
beyond our inner camps, and thus lost more than haM the 



WANT OF SYSTEM ON OUR SIDE. 1 85 

ground they had gained by our 4 o'clock retreat the after- 
noon before. 

Less easily accounted for was a movement of theirs on 
our right. They had held here a steep bluff covered with 
underbrush, as their advanced line. Through the night 
they abandoned this, which gave them the best position 
for opposing Lew. Wallace, and had fallen back across 
some open fields to the scrub-oak woods beyond. The 
advantage of compelling our advance over unprotected 
openings, while they maintained a sheltered position, was 
obvious, but certainly not so great as holding a height 
which artillery and infantry would make as difficult to take 
as many a fort. Nevertheless they fell back. 

The reader who is patient enough to wade through this 
narration, will scarcely fail to observe that thus far I have said 
little or nothing of any plan of attack or defence among our 
commanders. It has been simply because I have failed to 
see any evidence of such a plan. To me it seemed op 
Sunday as if every Division General at least — not to say 
in many cases, every individual soldier — imitated the good 
old Israelitish plan of action, by which every man did 
what seemed good in his own eyes. There may have been 
an infinite amount of generalship displayed, in superintend- 
ing our various defeats and re-formations and retreats, but 
to me it seemed of that microscopic character that re- 
quired the magnifying powers of a special permit for ex- 
clusive newspaper telegraphing on government lines to 
discover. 

Sunday night there was a council of war, but if the Major- 
General commanding developed any plans there, beyond 
the simple arrangement of our line of battle, I am very 
certain that some of the Division Commanders didn't find it 
out. Stubborn fighting alone delayed our losses on Sunday ; 



1 86 NELSON'S ADVANCE. 

Stubborn fighting alone saved us when we had reached 
the point beyond which came the child's "jumping-off 
place ; " and stubborn fight, v/ith such generalship as indi- 
vidual Division Commanders displayed, regained on Monday 
what we had lost before. 

To those who had looked despairingly at the prospects 
Sunday evening, it seemed strange that the Rebels did 
not open out on us by daybreak again. Their retreat before 
the bomb-shells of the gun-boats, however, explained the 
delay. Our own divisions were put in motion almost 
simultaneously. By seven o'clock Lew. Wallace opened 
the ball by shelling, from the positions he had selected the 
night before, the Rebel battery, of which mention has 
been made. A brisk artillery duel, a rapid movement of 
infantry across a shallow ravine, as if to storm, and the 
Rebels enfiladed and menaced in front, limbered up and 
made the opening of their Monday's retreating. 

To the left we were slower in finding the enemy. They 
had been compelled to travel some distance to get out of 
gunboat range. Nelson moved his division about the 
same time Wallace opened on the Rebel battery, forming 
in line of battle, Ammon's Brigade on the extreme left, 
Bruce's in the centre, and Hazen's to the left. Skirmishers 
were thrown out, and for nearly or quite a mile the divi- 
sion thus swept the country, pushing the outlying Rebels 
before it, till it came upon them in force. Then a general 
engagement broke out along the line, and again the rattle 
of musketry and thunder of artiliery echoed over the late 
silent fields. There was no straggling this morning. These 
men were better drilled than many of those whose regi- 
ments had broken to pieces on the day before, and strict 
measures were taken, at any rate, to prevent the miscel- 
laneous thronging back to places of safety in the rear. 



A CHANGE OF TACTICS. 1 8/ 

They stood up to their work and did their duty manfully. 
It soon became evident that, whether from change of 
commanders or some other cause, the Rebels were pursuing 
a different policy in massing their forces. On Sunday the 
heaviest fighting had been done on the left. This morn- 
ing they seemed to make less determined resistance here, 
while toward the centre and right the ground was 
more obstinately contested, and the struggle longer 
prolonged. 

Till half-past ten o'clock. Nelson advanced slowly but 
steadily, sweeping his long lines over the ground of our 
sore defeat on Sunday morning, and forward over scores of 
Rebel dead, resistlessly pressing back the jaded and wear- 
ied enemy. The Rebels had received but few reinforce- 
ments during the night, their men were exhausted with 
their desperate contest of the day before, and manifestly 
dispirited by the evident fact that notwithstanding their 
well-laid plans of destruction in detail, they were fighting 
Grant and Buell combined. 

Gradually, as Nelson pushed forward his lines under 
heavy musketry, the enemy fell back, till about half-past 
ten, when, under cover of the heavy timber and a furious 
cannonading, they made a general rally. Our forces, flushed 
with their easy victory, were scarcely prepared for the sud- 
den onset, where retreat had been all they had been seeing 
before. Suddenly, the Rebel masses were hurled against 
our lines with tremendous force. Our men halted, wavered, 
and fell back. At this juncture, Captain Terrill's regular 
battery came dashing up. Scarcely taking time to unlim- 
ber, he was loading and sighting his pieces before the cais- 
sons had turned, and in an instant was tossing shell from 
twenty-four pound howitzers into the compact and 
advancing Rebel ranks. 



1 88 THE TURNING OF THE TIDE. 

Here was the turning-point of the battle on the left. 
The Rebels were only checked, not halted. On they came. 
Horse after horse from the batteries were picked. Every 
private at one of the howitzers fell, and the gun was Vv'orked 
by Captain Terrill himself and a corporal. Still the Rebels 
advanced, till, in the very nick of time, a regiment dashed 
up from our line, and saved the disabled piece. Then for 
two hours artillery and musketry at close range. At last 
they began to waver. Our men pressed on, pouring in 
deadly volleys. Just then Buell, who assumed the general 
direction of his troops in the field, came up. At a glance 
he saw the chance. " Forward at double-quick by brig- 
ades!" Our men leaped forward as if they had been 
tied, and were only too much rejoiced at suddenly finding 
themselves able to move. For a quarter of a mile the 
Rebels fell back. Faster and faster they ran, less and less 
resistance was made to the advance. At last the front 
canips on the left were reached, and by half-past two that 
point was cleared. The Rebels had been steadily swept 
back over the ground they had won, with heavy loss as 
they fell into confusion ; we had retaken all our own guns 
lost here the day before, and one or two from the Rebels 
were left as trophies, to tell in after days how bravely that 
great victory over treason in Tennessee was won. 

I have sketched the advance of Nelson. Next to him 
came Crittenden. He, too, swept forward over his ground 
to the front some distance before finding the foe. Between 
8 and 9 o'clock, however, while keeping Smith's Brigade on 
his left up even with Nelson's flank, and joining Boyle's 
Brigade to McCook on the right, in the grand advance, 
they came upon the enemy with a battery in position, and 
well supported. Smith dashed his brigade forward ; there 
was sharp, close work witb musketry, and the Rebels fled 



ADVANCE OF CRITTENDEI^S DTVISTON' 1 89 

leaving us thre« pieces— a twelve-pound howitzer, and two 
brass six-pounders. But they cost the gallant Thirteenth 
Ohio dear. Major Ben. Piatt Runkle fell, mortally 
wounded. Softly may he sleep, and green grow the laurels 
over his honored grave. None worthier wear them living. 
For half an hour, perhaps, the storm raged around these 
captured guns. Then came the reflex Rebel wave that 
had hurled Nelson back. Crittenden, too, caught its full 
force. The Rebels swept up to the batteries, around 
them, and on down after our retreating column. But the 
two brigades, like those of Nelson to their left, took a fresh 
position, faced the foe, and held their ground. Menden- 
hall's and Bartlett's Batteries now began shelling the in- 
fantry that alone opposed them. Before abandoning the 
guns so briefly held, they had spiked them with mud, and 
the novel expedient was perfectly successful. From that 
time till after i o'clock, while the fight raged back and 
forth over the same ground, the Rebels did not succeed in 
firing a shot from their mud-spiked artillery. 

At last our brigades began to garn the advantage again. 
Crittenden pushed them steadily forward. Mendenhall 
(with his accomplished First Lieutenant Parsons, one of 
our Western Reserve West Pointers), and Bartlett, poured 
in their shell. A rush for the contested battery, and it is 
ours again. The Rebels retreated toward the left. Smith 
and Boyle, holding the infantry well in hand, Mendenhall 
again got their range, and poured in shell on the new 
position. The fortune of the day was against them as 
against their comrades to Nelson's front, and they were 
soon in full retreat. 

Just then Brigadier-General Thomas J. Wood's advance 
brigade, from his approaching division, came up. It was 
too late for the fight, but it relieved Crittenden's weary 



igO M' COOK'S ADVANCE. 

fellows, and pushed on after the Rebels, until they were 
found to have left our most advanced camps. 

Thus the left was saved. Meanwhile McCook, with as 
magnificent regiments as ever came from the Army of the 
Potomac, or from any army of volunteers in the world, 
was doing equally well toward the centre. His division 
was handled in such a way as to save great effusion of 
blood, while equally important results were obtained. 
Thus the reserves were kept as much as possible from un- 
der fire, while those to the front were engaged. The lists 
of killed and wounded will show that, while as heavy 
fighting was done here as anywhere on the right or centre, 
the casualties are fewer than could have been expected. 

It would scarcely be interesting to prolong details where 
the course of one division so nearly resembled that of the 
others. But let me sketch the close. An Illinois battery, 
serving in the division, was in imminent danger. The 
Sixth Indiana was ordered to its relief. A rapid rush; 
close musketry firing ; no need of bayonets here ; the bat- 
tery is safe. The enemy are to the front and right. Ad- 
vancing and firing right oblique, the Sixth pushes on. The 
Rebel colors fall. Another volley ; they fall again. An- 
other volley ; yet once more the colors drop. There is 
fatality in it, so the Rebels seem to think at least, as they 
wheel and disappear. 

And then Rousseau's Brigade is drawn off in splendid 
style, as if coming in from parade, conscious of some 
grand master of reviews watching their movements. So 
there was — the Rebel general. As he saw the brigade 
filing back, he pushed his forces forward again. Kirk's 
Brigade advanced to meet them, coming out of the woods 
into an open field to do so. They were met by a tremen- 
dous fire, which threw a battalion of regulars in front of 



PARADE ON THE FIELD OF WAR. I9I 

them (under Major Oliver, I think,) into some confusion. 
They retire to reform, and meanwhile down drops the 
brigade, fiat on the ground. Then, as the .front is clear, 
they spring up, charge across the open field — never mind 
the falling — straight on, on to the woods — Under cover, 
with the enemy driven back by the impetuous advance. 
And now he rallies. Fierce musketry firing sweeps the 
woods. They advance — thirty rods, perhaps — when the 
Twenty-ninth Indiana gets into a marsh, and falls partially 
to the rear. Heavier comes the leaden hail. Twenty- 
ninth and Thirtieth both fall back fifteen or twenty rods ; 
they rally and advance ; again they are hurled back ; again 
they start forward ; and this time they come in on the 
vulnerable points. The enemy flees. Colonel Waggoner's 
Fifteenth Indiana comes up to the support ; the enemy 
disappear; fresh troops take their places, and for them the 
fight is ended. I might describe similar deeds of WOlich's 
and Harrison's regiments, but "from one learn all." 

Farther to the right, McClernand and Hurlbut were 
gallantly coming on with their jaded men. The soldiers 
would fight — that was the great lesson of the battle. If 
surprised, and driven off in consequence of surprise, that 
can hardly be wholly charged on them. Four times Mc- 
Clernand regained and lost again the ground to the front 
of his division. Similar were Hurlbiit's fortunes. 

But I must abandon these details. Beginning at tne 
left we have followed the wave of successes that swept us 
forward again, from spot to spot, over the hard-lost fields of 
Sunday — our paeans of victory, the wild cheers of our 
successful soldiers, sounding the requiem of the fallen 
Rebels, who hav-e atoned for their treason by the brave 
man's death. Nelson, Crittenden, McCook, Hurlbut, Mc- 
Cleimand have borne their divisions through the fray. It 



192 LEIV. WALLACE'S MOVEMENTS. 

lasted longer on the right, and was as rarely interesting as 
the chess-game of a master. Let us trace it through. 

In speaking of the beginning of Monday's battle, I men- 
tioned Major-General Lew. Wallace's opening the ball at 
seven o'clock, by shelling with enfilading fires a Rebel 
battery. A few shots demonstrated to the Rebels that 
their position was untenable. The instant Sherman came 
in to protect his left, Wallace advanced his infantry. The 
Rebel battery at once limbered up and got out of the way. 
The advance had withdrawn the division from Sherman. 
Making a left half -wheel, to get back into the neighbor- 
hood of our line, they advanced some two hundred yards, 
which brought them to a little elevation, with a broad, open 
stretch to the front. 

As the division halted on the crest of the swell, there 
passed before them a rare vision. Away to the front were 
woods. Through the edge of the timber, skirting the 
fields, the head of a Rebel column appeared, marching 
past in splendid style on the double-quick. Banner after 
banner appeared ; the " stars and bars " formed a long 
line, stretching parallel with Wallace's line of battle. 
Regiment after regimant followed on, the line lengthened, 
and doubled and trebled ; the head of the column was out 
of sight, and still they came. Twenty regiments were 
counted passing through these woods. The design was 
plain. The Rebels had abandoned the idea of forcing 
their way through our left, and now the manifest attempt 
was to turn our right. 

Batteries were ordered up — Thompson's and Thurber's — 
and the whole column was shelled as it passed. The Rebels 
rapidly threw their artillery into position, and a brisk 
cannonading began. After a time, while the fight still 
rested with the artillery, the Rebels opened a new and de- 



THE LOUISIANA TROOPS. 1 93 

structive battery to the right, which our men soon learned 
to know as "Watson's Louisiana Battery," from the marks 
on the ammunition-boxes they forced it from time to time 
to leave behind. 

Batteries, with a brigade of supporting infantry, were 
now moved forward over open fields under heavy fire, to con- 
tend against this new assailant. The batteries opened, the 
sharpshooters were thrown out to the front to pick off the 
Rebel artillerists, the brigade was ordered down on its face 
to protect it from the flying shell and grape. For an hour 
and a half the contest lasted, while the body of the divi- 
sion was still delayed, waiting for Sherman. By ten o'clock 
Sherman's right, under Colonel Marsh, came up. He 
started to move across the fields. The storm of musketry 
and grape were too much for him, and he fell back in good 
order. Again he started on the double, and gained the 
woods. The Louisiana Battery was turned ; Marsh's posi- 
tion left it subject to fire in flank and front, and it fled. 
The other Rebel batteries at once did the same ; and 
Wallace's Division, up in an instant, now that a master 
move had swept the board, pushed forward. Before them 
were broad fallow fields, then a woody little ravine, then 
corn-fields, then woods. 

The left brigade was sent forward. It crossed the fal- 
low fields, under ordinary fire, then gained the ravine, and 
was rushing across the corn-fields, when the same Louisiana 
steel rifled guns opened on them. Dashing forward they 
reached a little ground-swell, behind which they dropped like 
dead men, while skirmishers were sent forward to silence 
the troublesome battery. The skirmishers crawled forward 
till they gained a little knoll, not more than seventy-five 
yards from the battery. Of course the battery opened on 
them. They replied, if not so noisily, more to the pur- 



1 94 SIL ENCING A BA TTER Y. 

pose. In a few minutes the battery was driven off, with 
artillerists killed, horses shot down, and badly crippled 
every way. But the affair cost us a brave man — Lieuten- 
ant-Colonel Garber — who could not control his enthusiasm 
at the conduct of the skirmishers, and in his excitement 
incautiously exposed himself. All this while Rebel regi 
ments were pouring up to attack the audacious brigade that 
was supporting the skirmishers, and fresh regiments from 
Wallace's Division came up in time to checkmate the game. 

But the battery was silenced. " Foward," was the divi- 
sion order. Rushing across the corn-fields under heavy 
fire, they now met the Rebels face to face in the woods. 
The contest was quick, decisive. Close, sharp, continuous 
musketry for a few minutes, and the Rebels fell back. 

Here, unfortunately, Sherman's right gave way. Wal- 
lace's flank was exposed. He instantly formed Colonel 
Wood's (Seventy-sixth Ohio ) in a new line of battle, in 
right angles with the real one, and with orders to protect 
the flank. The Eleventh Indiana was likewise here en- 
gaged in a sharp engagement with the enemy attempting 
to flank, and for a time the contest waxed fierce. But 
Sherman soon filled the place of his broken regiments ; 
again Wallace's Division forced forward, and again the 
enemy gave way. 

By 2 o'clock the division was into the woods again, and 
for three-quarters of a mile it advanced under a continuous 
storm of shot. Then another contest or two with bat- 
teries — always met with skirmishers and sharp-shooting — 
then, by 4 o'clock, two hours later than on the right, a 
general Rebel retreat — then pursuit, recall and encamp- 
ment on the old grounds of Sherman's Division, in the 
very tents from which those regiments were driven that 
hapless Sunday morning. 



THE KILLED AND WOUNDED. IQS 

The camps were regained. The Rebels were repulsed. Their 
attack had failed. We stood where we began. Rebel cav- 
alry were within half a mile of us. The retreating columns 
were within striking distance. But we had regained our 
camps. And so ended the battle of Pittsburgh Landing. 

I do not pretend to give more than an estimate ; but I 
have made the estimate with some care, going to the ad- 
jutants of different regiments that had been in as heavy 
fighting as any — getting statements of their losses, sure 
to be very nearly if not quite accurate, and approximating 
thus from the loss of a dozen regiments to the probable 
loss of all. I have ridden over the grounds, too — have 
seen the dead and wounded lying over the field — have 
noted the number in the hospitals and on the boats. As 
the result of it all, I do not believe our loss in killed and 
wounded will number over five thousand. The question of 
prisoners is another matter. 

The best opinions of the strength with which the Rebels 
attacked us place their numbers at sixty thousand. They may 
have been re-inforced five to ten thousand Sunday night. 

Grant had scarcely forty thousand effective men on Sun- 
day. Of these, half a dozen regiments were utterly raw — had 
scarcely had their guns long enough to know how to handle 
them. Some were supplied with weapons on their way up. 

Buell crossed three divisions that took part in the action 
— Nelson's, Crittenden's, and McCook's. They numbered 
say twenty thousand — a liberal estimate. Lew. Wallace 
came up on Monday, with say seven thousand more. That 
gives us, counting the Sunday men as all effective again, 
sixty-seven thousand on Monday, on one side, against 
sixty to seventy thousand Rebels. It was not numbers 
that gained us the day, it was fighting. All honor to our 
Northern soldiers for it. 



CHAPTER XV. 

CORINTH. 

Halleck Takes the Field — Organization of the Army — Prooress 
AT A Snail's Pace — Sherman's Advance — The Flight of the 
Rebels — Sherman's Official Report — Congratulating the Troops — 
Beauregard's Address to his Soldiers — Some Account of Corinth — 
Abrupt Finale of a Rebel Haranghe. 

The battle of Pittsburgh Landing unquestionably pre- 
sented remarkable features. The magnitude of the strug- 
gle, the panic that affected some of the troops on the first 
day, the stern recovery and complete triumph of the second 
day, all make the event notable in our military annals. 
But far more remarkable, in an entirely different sense, 
was the campaign that followed; a campaign that even 
now can scarcely be contemplated with patience. It 
seemed as though the commanding General (Halleck), 
conceding the truth of the charges of excessive rashness 
and lack of preparation at Shiloh, had now resolved to 
atone therefore by going to the opposite extreme of caution 
and deliberation. The results of this policy were not 
disastrous ; but they were exasperating. Had the Union 
army promptly followed up its advantage, gained at Shiloh, 
it could and doubtless would have annihilated the opposing 
forces and made rebellion in that region a thing of the 
past. This probably would have been done had Sherman 
196 



HALLECK IN THE FIELD. 1 97 

been in command ; for, as we have seen, his voice was for an 
aggressive campaign. But Sherman was not in command. 

Immediately after the battle, Halleck came down from 
St. Louis and took his place as commander of the army in 
the field. Perhaps he believed the miserable slanders 
against Grant, charging him with drunkenness at Shiloh ; 
perhaps he merely retained his former feeling of dissatis- 
faction with him. At any rate, he kept him under a cloud, 
appointing him nominally second in command, but giving 
him nothing to do. But it served his purpose to treat 
Sherman well, and he accordingly took him into his con- 
fidence and gave him important commissions to execute. 
He drew troops from other parts of the country, until he 
had an army of more tkan a hundred thousand men. To 
Major-General Pope he gave command of the left wing, to 
Major-General Buell the centre, to Major-General Thomas 
the right, and to Major-General McClernand the reserves. 
Lew. Wallace was under McClernand. Sherman was 
under Thomas, in the right wing, and was glad to be there. 
They were classmates and trusted friends, and, as Sherman 
afterward said, it made no difference which of them com- 
manded the other , they were bound to work together in 
harmony for the good cause. 

The army was thus organized for an advance on Corinth, 
where the Rebel army lay. This place was the junction 
of two great railroads, and was of much strategic import- 
ance. The same Rebel army that had been defeated at 
Pittsburgh Landing was gathered there, re-organized and 
reinforced. Since Albert Sidney Johnston's death. General 
Beauregard was in command, and on May 8th he issued 
this address to his troops : 

" Soldiers of Shiloh and Elkhorn ! We are about to 
meet once more in the shock of battle the invaders of our 



198 BEAUREO-ARnS SPREAD-EAGLE SPEECH. 

soil, the despoilers of our homes, the disturbers of our 
family ties, face to face, hand to hand. We are to decide 
whether we are freemen, or vile slaves of those who are 
only free in name, and who but yesterday were vanquished, 
although in largely superior numbers, in their own en- 
campments, on the ever-memorable field of Shiloh. Let 
the impending battle decide our fate, and add a more 
illustrious page to the history of our revolution — one to 
which our children will point with pride, saying, 'Our 
fathers were at the battle of Corinth.' I congratulate you 
on your timely junction. With our mingled banners for 
the first time during the war, we shall meet our foe in 
strength that should give us victory. Soldiers, can the 
result be doubtful? Shall we not drive back to Tennessee 
the presumptuous mercenaries collected for our subjuga- 
tion .'' One more manly effort, and, trusting in God and the 
justness of our cause, we shall recover more than we lately 
lost. Let the sound of our victorious guns be re-echoed 
by those of Virginia on the historic battle-field at York- 
town." 

It should be explained, concerning the first words of 
this address, that among the reinforcements of Beaure- 
gard's army were Van Dorn's troops, who had fought at 
Pea Ridge, Arkansas, a battle which the Rebels called 
Elkhorn ; and concerning the closing wordS) that on the 
very day when this address was issued, the Rebels fled 
from Yorktown before the advance of McClellan ! General 
Bragg also made an address to his soldiers, saying : " You 
will encounter the enemy in your chosen position, strong 
by nature and improved by art, away from his main support 
and reliance — gunboats and heavy batteries — and for the 
first time in this war, with nearly equal numbers." This 
remark about equal numbers was certainly untrue, since at 



/' 



i 




;-.>''■ "^Pii^^r 



^ 



GEN. JOHN A. LOGAN. 



MARCHING AT A SNAIVS PACE. 20I 

Shiloh the Rebel army on the first day actually outnum- 
bered the Union troops. And now at Corinth it is hardly 
possible to believe that the Rebels had anything like a hun- 
dred thousand men. Forty-seven thousand is the estimate 
given by one careful writer, and sixty-five thousand by 
another. There really seems to be no good reason for 
believing that Beauregard had at most more than two- 
thirds as many soldiers as Halleck, and there was no pros- 
pect of his getting any more, for McClellan's huge army 
was menacing Richmond, and all available Southern troops 
were needed there to cope with it. Of course, Halleck's 
men were still comparatively new to war, and it would have 
been injudicious to hurry them forward against Beaure- 
gard's entrenched position. But under another leader they 
doubtless might have been conducted with certain success 
against the foe in half the time that Halleck took, and 
with far more satisfactory results than those achieved by 
him. 

Shiloh was fought on April 6th and 7th. For twenty 
days thereafter Halleck was preparing to pursue the enemy. 
His army really did need much re-organization. Sher- 
man's Division, for example, had suffered so much that its 
four brigades were now consolidated into three, commanded 
respectively by Morgan L. Smith, John A. McDowell, and 
J. W. Denver. Supplies were plentiful, being brought up 
the river. But there was a scarcity of wagon trains for 
the march inland to Corinth, and much confusion occurred 
on this account. However, by April 14th Halleck decided 
that some move must be made, so he sent Sherman to 
break the Memphis and Charleston railroad at Bear Creek ; 
which was done. Then Halleck began his advance 
upon Corinth. And such an advance ! If at Shiloh the 

army had lain for weeks without intrenchmenls, here it 
12 



202 SHERMAN'S ADVANCE. 

was not halted for a day without elaborate fortifications. 
The troops literally burrowed their way across the country. 
It took, said the Rebels, six weeks to move fifteen miles ; 
and the statement is not far from truth. On May 3d, 
General Pope's Division won a victory of some importance 
at Farrington, five miles northwest of Corinth, and the 
cavalry pushed on to Glendale and cut the Rebel line of 
communication there. 

The Union army on May 17th was within five miles of 
Corinth. Sherman was on that date sent forward to take 
the Russell house, about midway between the two armies. 
This he did after a sharp action, in which he handled his 
troops with credit. Recognizing the strength and im- 
portance of the position, Sherman at once fortified it 
strongly. And at the same time Halleck's whole army 
settled down to besiege Corinth after the orthodox fashion 
now growing into use, i. e., with elaborate intrenchments, 
parallels and battery epaulements. Halleck believed that 
Corinth was strongly fortified, and that it could only be 
taken by siege. On May 27th he was within a mile of the 
Rebel lines, with his heavy siege guns in position. He 
now ordered Sherman to advance, drive in the Rebel 
pickets, and make a strong demonstration against Corinth 
itself. 

This task Sherman accomplished with masterly skill. 
He had under him, on this occasion, McClernand, Hurl- 
b«t and John A. Logan, Generals Grant and Thomas 
witnessed the engagement and expressed much admiration 
of Sherman's ability in it. The position gained over- 
looked at close quarters the Rebel fortifications around 
Corinth, and not only the drum and bugle calls in the Rebel 
camp, but the noise-s of the town itself were plainly audi- 
ble. Sherman entrenched himself strongly and brought 



SHERMAN'S OFFICIAL REPORT. 203 

up his artillery. Halleck was jubilant and was confident 
of capturing the whole of Beauregard's army. But on the 
night of May 29th there were strange sounds in Corinth. 
The rumble and roar of railroad trains was incessant. At 
daylight of May 30th the town and the country about 
were shaken by an explosion, and a vast cloud of smoke 
overshadowed Corinth. Halleck had expected a battle 
before this, but there was no sign that the Rebels would 
come out of their fortifications. 

When the explosion occurred, on May 30th, Sherman 
asked Halleck if he had any idea what it meant. Hal- 
leck replied that he had not, and then ordered Sherman to 
move forward with his division and find out. Sherman did 
so, and lo ! The Rebel works were abandoned, and Corinth 
itself was evacuated. On February 26th, Beauregard had 
commenced hurrying his sick troops and stores southward, 
on the night of the 28th he had sent the bulk of his effec- 
tive force, and on the night of the 29th, the rear guard had 
fled, setting fire to the town and blowing up the magazine. 
The Rebel pickets had not been called in, nor even noti- 
fied of the army's flight, so they fell into Sherman's hands, 
with the ruins of the town. And thus ingloriously ended 
the Siege of Corinth. 

Following, is Sherman's official report of the capture of 
Corinth, dated May 30th, 1862. 

" On the nineteenth instant, I reported the operations of 
this division in taking from the enemy the positions at 
Russel's. After driving the enemy away, we found it one 
of great natural strength, and proceeded to fortify it. Lines 
were laid off by the engineer, Captain Kossak, and a very 
excellent parapet was constructed by the men in a style 
that elicited the approval of General Halleck. Men worked 
day and night, and as soon as it was done and the dense 



204 ^ BLOCK HOUSE FORTRESS. 

trees and undergrowth cleared away in front, to give range 
to our batteries, I directed our pickets to drive the enemy 
further back behind a large open field to our front and 
right. This was handsomely executed by the regular de- 
tail of picket-guard under the direction of the field-officer 
of the day, Lieutenant Colonel Loudon of the Seventieth 
Ohio. 

"We remained in that intrenched camp at Russell's until 
the night of the 27th, when I received from Major Gene- 
ral Hal leek an order by telegraph ' to send a force the next 
day to drive the Rebels from the house in our front on the 
Corinth road, to drive in their pickets as far as possible, 
and to make a strong demonstration on Corinth itself,* 
authorizing me to call on any adjacent divisions for assist- 
ance ; I asked General McClernand for one brigade and 
General Hurlbut for another to co-operate with two 
brigades of my own division. Colonel John A. Logan's 
Brigade of General Judah's Division of McClernand's 
Reserve Corps, and General Veatch's Brigade of Hurlbut's 
Division, were placed subject to my orders, and took part 
with my own division in the operations of the two follow- 
ing days, and I now thank the officers and men of these 
brigades for the zeal and enthusiasm they manifested, and 
the alacrity they displayed in the execution of every order 
given. 

" The house referred to by General Halleck was a double 
log building, standing on a high ridge on the upper or 
southern end of the large field before referred to as the 
one to which we had advanced our pickets. The enemy 
had taken out the chinks and removed the roof, making it 
an excellent block-house from which, with perfect security, 
he could annoy our pickets. The large field was perfectly 
overlooked by this house, as well as by the ridge along its 



A SILENT MARCH. 305 

southern line of defence, which was covered by a dense 
grove of heavy oaks and underbrush. The main Corinth 
road runs along the eastern fence, whilst the field itself, 
about three hundred yards wide by about five hundred 
yards long, extended far to the right into 1>he low land of 
Phillips's Creek, so densely wooded as to be impassable 
to troops or artillery. On the eastern side of the field the 
woods were more open. The enemy could be seen at all 
times in and about the house and the ridge beyond, and 
our pickets could not show themselves on our side of the 
field without attracting a shot. 

" The problem was to clear the house and ridge of the 
enemy with as little loss as possible. To accomplish this, 
I ordered General J. W. Denver, with his Brigade (Third), 
and the Morton Battery of four guns, to march in perfect 
silence from our lines at 8 A. M., keeping well under cover 
as he approached the field ; General Morgan L. Smith's 
Brigade (First), with Barrett's and Waterhouse's Batter- 
ies, to move along the main road, keeping his force well 
masked in the woods to the left ; Brigadier-General Veatch's 
Brigade to move from General Hurlbut's lines through the 
woods on the left of and connecting with General M. L. 
Smith's, and General John A. Logan's Brigades to move 
down to Bowie Hill Cut of the Mobile and Ohio Railroad, 
and thence forward to the left, so as to connect with 
General Denver's Brigade on the extreme right; all to 
march at 8 A. M., with skirmishers well to the front, to 
keep well concealed, and, at a signal, to rush quickly on 
to the ridge, thus avoiding as much as possible the danger 
of crossing the open field exposed to the fire of a concealed 
enemy. It was impossible for me beforehand to ascertain 
the force of the enemy, and nothing is more embarrassing 
than to make dispositions against a concealed foe, occupy- 



206 DRIVING OUT THE ENEMY. 

ing, as this was, a strong natural position. I then sup- 
posed and still think, this position was held by a small 
brigade of the enemy. 

" My preliminary arrangements having thus been made, 
two twenty-pound Parrot rifle-guns of Silfversparre's Bat- 
tery, under the immediate supervision of Major Taylor, 
Chief of Artillery, were moved silently through the forest 
to a point behind a hill, from the top of which could be 
seen the house and ground to be contested. The guns 
were unlimbered, loaded with shell and moved by hand to 
the crest. At the proper time I gave the order to Major 
Taylor to commence firing and demoHsh the house, or ren- 
der it decidedly uncomfortable to its occupants. About a 
dozen shells well directed soon accomplished this ; then 
designating a single shot of the twenty-pound Parrott gun 
of Silfversparre as a signal for the brigades to advance, 
I waited till all were in position, and ordered the signal, 
when the troops dashed forward in fine style, crossed the 
field, drove the enemy across the ridge and field beyond 
into another dense and seemingly impenetrable forest. 
The enemy was evidently surprised, and only killed two of 
our men, and wounded nine. After he had reached the 
ridge, he opened on us with a two-gun battery on the right 
and another from the front and left, doing my brigades but 
little harm, but killing three of General Veatch's men. 
With our artillery we soon silenced his, and by lo A. M. 
we were masters of the position. Generals Grant and 
Thomas were present during the affair, and witnessed the 
movement, which was admirably executed, all the officers 
and men keeping their places like real soldiers. 

" Immediately throwing forward a line of skirmishers in 
front of each brigade, we found the enemy reinforcing his 
front skirmishers ; but the woods were so dense as to 



THE REBELS IN CONFUSION. 20/ 

completely mask his operations. An irregular piece of 
cleared land lay immediately in front of Gen. Denver's 
position, and extended obliquely to the left, in front of and 
across Morgan Smith's and Veatch's brigades, which 
were posted on the right and left of the main Corinth 
road, leading directly south. For some time I was in 
doubt whether the artillery fire we had sustained had come 
from the enemy's fixed or field-batteries, and intended to 
move forward at great hazard to ascertain the fact, when, 
about 3 P. M., we were startled by the quick rattle of 
musketry along our whole picket-line, followed by the 
cheers and yells of an attacking column of the enemy. 

" Our artillery and Mann's Battery of Veatch's Brigade, 
had been judiciously posted by Major Taylor, and before 
the yell of the enemy had died away arose our reply in the 
cannon's mouth. The firing was very good, rapid, well- 
directed, and the shells burst in the right place. Our 
pickets were at first driven in a little, but soon recovered 
their ground and held it, and the enemy retreated in utter 
confusion. On further examination of the ground, with 
its connection on the left with Gen. Hurlbut, and right 
resting on the railroad near Bowie Hill Cut, it was deter- 
mined to intrench. The lines were laid out after dark, and 
the work substantially finished by morning. 

"All this time we were within one thousand three hun- 
dred yards of the enemy's main intrentchments, which 
were absolutely concealed from us by the dense foilage of 
the oak forest, and without a real battle, which at that time 
was to be avoided, we could not push out our skirmishers 
more than two hundred yards to the front. For our own 
security I had to destroy two farmhouses, both of which 
had been loop-holed and occupied by the enemy. By 9 
A. M. of yesterday, (twenty-ninth,) our works were sub- 



208 LOGAN'S GOOD WORK. 

stantially done, and our artillery in position, and at 4 
P. M. the siege-train was bromght forward, and Colonel 
McDowell's Brigade, (Second) of my division, had come 
from our former lines at Russell's, and had relieved General 
John A. Logan's Brigade. 

" I feel under special obligations to this officer, ( General 
Logan) who, during the two days he served under me, 
held the critical ground on my right, extending down to 
the railroad. All the time he had in his front a large force 
of the enemy, but so dense was the foliage that he could 
not reckon their strength, save from what he could see in 
the railroad track. He wfll, doubtless, make his own 
report, and give the names of the wounded among his 
pickets. 

" I had then my whole division in a slightly curved line 
facing south, my ^ right resting on the Mobile and Ohio 
Railroad, near a deep cut known as Bowie Hill Cut, and 
left resting on the main Corinth road, at the crest of the 
bridge,there connecting with General Hurlbut, who, in turn, 
on his left, connected with General Davis, and so on down 
the whole line to its extremity. So near was the enemy 
that we could hear the sound of his drums and sometimes 
voices in command, and the railroad cars arriving and de- 
parting at Corinth were easily distinguished. For some 
days and nights cars have been arriving and departing very 
frequently, especially in the night ; but last night (twenty- 
ninth) more so than usual, and my suspicions were aroused. 

" Before daybreak I instructed the brigade commanders 
and the field-officer of the day to feel forward as far as 
possible, but all reported the enemy's pickets still in force 
in the dense woods to our front. But about 6 A, M. a 
curious explosion, sounding like a volley of large siege- 
pieces, followed by others singly, and in twos and threes, 



A SUHPH/SE FOR SHERMAN. 209 

arrested our attention, and soon after a large smoke arose 
from the direction of Corinth, when I telegraphed to 
General Halleck to ascertain the cause. He answered that 
he could not explain it, but ordered me 'to advance my divis- 
ion and feel the enemy, if still in my front.' I immediately 
put in motion two regiments of each brigade by differ- 
ent roads, and soon after followed with the whole division, 
infantry, artillery and cavalry. 

"Somewhat to our surprise, the enemy's chief redoubt 
was found within thirteen hundred yards of our line of 
intrenchments, but completely masked by the dense forest 
and undergrowth. Instead of having, as we supposed, a 
continuous line of intrenchments encircling Corinth, his 
defences consisted of separate redoubts, connected in part 
by a parapet and ditch, and in part by shallow rifle-pits, 
the trees being felled so as to give a good field of fire to 
and beyond the main road. 

"General M. L Smith's Brigade moved rapidly down 
the main road, entering the first redoubt of the enemy at 
7 A. M. It was cormpletely evacuated, and he pushed on 
into Corinth and beyond, to College Hill, there awaiting 
my orders and arrival. General Denver entered the 
enemy's lines at the same time, 7 A. M., at a point midway 
between the wagon and railroads, and proceeded on to 
Corinth, about three miles from our camp, and Colonel 
McDowell kept further to the right, near the Mobile and 
Ohio Railroad. By 8 A. M. all my division was at Corinth, 
and beyond. 

" On the whole ridge, extending from my camp into 
Corinth and to the right and left, could be seen the remains 
of the abandoned camps of the enemy, fiour and provisions 
scattered about, and everything indicating a speedy and 
confused retreat. In the town itself many houses were 



210 THE REBEL RETREAT. 

still burning, and the ruins of warehouses and buildings 
containing commissary and other Confederate stores were 
still smouldering ; but there still remained piles of camion 
balls, shells and shot, sugar, molasses, beans, rice, and 
other property, which the enemy had failed to carry off or 
destroy. Major Fisher, of the Fifty-fourth Ohio, was left 
in Corinth with a provost-guard, to prevent pillage and 
protect the public stores still left. 

"From the best information picked up from the citi- 
zens who remained in Corinth, it appeared that the enemy 
had for some days been removing their sick and valuable 
gitores, and had sent away on railroad-cars a part of their 
effective force, on the night of the 28th. But, of course, 
even the vast amount of their rolling stock could not 
carry away an army of a hundred thousand men. 

"The enemy was, therefore, compelled to march away, 
and began the march by 10 o'clock on the night of the 
29th — the columns filling all the roads reaching south and 
west all night — the rear-guard firing the train which led to 
the explosions and conflagration, which gave us the first 
real notice that Corinth was to be evacuated. The enemy 
did not relieve his pickets that morning, and many of them 
have been captured, who did not have the slightest intima- 
tion of their purpose. 

"Finding Corinth abandoned by the enemy, I ordered 
General M. L. Smith to pursue on the Ripley* road, by 
which it appeared they had taken the bulk of their artil- 
lery. 

"Captain Hammond, my chief of staff, had been and 
continued with General Smith's Brigade, and pushed the 
pursuit up to the bridges and narrow causeway by which 
the bottom of Tuscumbia Creek is passed. The enemy 
opened with canister on the small party of cavalry, and 



THE WORK OP SHERMAA'S MEN". 211 

burned every bridge, leaving the woods full of straggling 
soldiers. Many of these were gathered up and sent to the 
rear, but the main army had escaped across Tuscumbia 
Creek, and further pursuit by a small party would have 
been absurd, and I kept my division at College Hill until 
I received General Thomas's orders to return and resume 
our camps of the night before, which we did, slowly and 
quietly, in the cool of the evening. 

"The evacuation of Corinth at the time and in the 
manner in which it was done, was a clear backdown from 
the high and arrogant tone heretofore assumed by the 
Rebels. The ground was of their own choice. The forti- 
fications, though poor and indifferent, were all they sup- 
posed necessary to our defeat, as they had had two months 
to make them, with an immense force to work at their dis- 
posal. 

"If, with two such railroads as they possessed, they 
could not supply their army with reinforcements and pro- 
visions, how can they attempt it in this poor, arid and 
exhausted part of the country .? 

" I have experienced much difficulty in giving an intel- 
ligent account of the events of the past three days, be- 
cause of the many little events, unimportant in them- 
selves, but which in the aggregate form material data to 
account for results. 

"My division has constructed seven distinct intrenched 
camps since leaving Shiloh, the men working cheerfully 
and well all the time night and day. Hardly had we fin- 
ished one camp before we were called on to move forward 
and build another. But I have been delighted at this 
feature in the character of my division, and take this 
method of making it known. Our intrenchments here 
and at Russell's, each built substantially in one night, are 



212 CONGRATULATIONS. 

stronger works of art than the much bsasted forts of the 
enemy at Corinth. 

" I must, also, in justice to my men, remark their great 
improvement on the march — the absence of that straggling 
which is too common in the volunteer service; and still 
more, their improved character on picket and as skir- 
mishers. Our line of march has been along a strongly 
marked ridge, followed by the Purdy and Corinth road, 
and ever since leaving the ' Locusts ' our pickets have 
been fighting. Hardly an hour, night or day, for two 
weeks, without the exchange of hostile shots. But we 
have steadily and surely gained ground — slowly, to be 
sure, but with that steady certainty which presaged the 
inevitable result. In these picket skirmishes we have 
inflicted and sustained losses, but it is impossible for me 
to recapitulate them. 

"These must be accounted for on the company muster- 
rolls. We have taken many prisoners, which have been 
sent to the Provost-Marshal General ; and with this report 
I will send some forty or fifty picked up in the course of 
the past two days. Indeed, I think if disarmed, very many 
of these prisoners would never give trouble again ; whilst, 
on the other hand, the real Secessionists seem more bitter 
than ever." 

Sherman also issued a congratulatory address to his 
soldiers, in which he indulged in some expressions that 
must now appear rather extravagant, such as his charac- 
terization of the capture of Corinth as " a victory as bril- 
liant and important as any recorded in history." 

" But a few days ago," he said, " a large and poweful 
Rebel army lay at Corinth, with outposts extending to our 
very camp at Shiloh. They held twp railroads extending 
north and south, east and west, across the whole extent of 



IMPORTANCE OF THE VICTORY. 213 

their country, with a vast number of locomotives and cars 
to bring to them speedily and certainly their reinforcements 
and supplies. They called to their aid all their armies 
from every quarter, abandoning the seacoast and the great 
river Mississippi, that they might overwhelm us with num- 
bers in the place of their own choosing. They had their 
chosen leaders, men of high reputation and courage, and 
they dared us to leave the cover of our iron-clad gun- 
boats to come to fight them in their trenches, and still 
more dangerous swamps and ambuscades of their Southern 
forests. Their whole country, from Richmond to Memphis 
and Nashville to Mobile, rung with their taunts and boast- 
ings, as to how they would immolate the Yankees if they 
dared to leave the Tennessee River. They boldly and 
defiantly challenged us to meet them at Corinth. We 
accepted the challenge, and came slowly and without at- 
tempt at concealment to the very ground of their selection ; 
and they have fled away. We yesterday marched unopposed 
through the burning embers of their destroyed camps and 
property, and pursued them to their swamps, until burning 
bridges plainly confessed they had fled, and not marched 
away for better ground. It is a victory as brilliatit and 
important as any recorded in history, and every officer and 
soldier who lent his aid has just reason to be proud of his 
part. 

" No amount of sophistry or words from the leaders of 
the rebellion can succeed in giving the evacuation of 
Corinth, under the circumstances, any other title than that 
of a signal defeat, more humiliating to them and their 
cause than if we had entered the place over the dead and 
mangled bodies of their soldiers. We are not herg to kill 
and slay, but to vindicate the honor and just authority of 
that government which has been bequeathed to us by our 



214 APPEARANCE OF CORINTH. 

honored fathers, and to whom we would be recreant if we 
permitted their work to pass to our children marred and 
spoiled by ambitious and wicked Rebels. 

" The General commanding, while thus claiming for his 
division their just share in this glorious result, must, at 
the same time, remind them that much yet remains to be 
done, and that all must still continue the same vigilance 
and patience, and industry and obedience, till the enemy 
lays down his arms, and publicly acknowledges for their 
supposed grievances, they must obey the laws of their 
country, not attempt its overthrow by threats, by cruelty, 
and by war. They must be made to feel and acknowlege 
the power of a just and a mighty nation. This result can 
only be accomplished by a cheerful and ready obedience 
to the orders and authority of our' leaders, in whom we 
now have just reason to feel the most implicit confidence. 
That the Fifth Division of the right wing will do this, and 
that in due time we will go to our families and friends at 
home, is the earnest prayer and wish of your immediate 
commander." 

A well-informed observer says of Corinth, after the 
capture : 

" Corinth is the only pleasant country village I have seen 
in this section of the country. I was informed that it 
usually contained two thousand two hundred inhabitants, 
of all colors, but I am inclined seriously to doubt the as- 
sertion. From one thousand to one thousand two hundred 
would be far nearer a true estimate. 

" The houses are built after the Southern fashion, with 
a front door for every room looking toward the street. This 
is an odd feature to one used to Yankee architecture, but 
it is the universal style of the Southern States. The 
apartments of most of the houses are large and airy, and 



n/^DAnV FOR THE YANKEES. 2 1 5 

surrounded with immense porticoes, where the high-toned 
chivalry enjoy their siesta in the most approved Spanish 
manner, except that they imbibe, before sleeping, a some- 
what different beverage from the Castilians. Instead of 
the wines of Andalusia, they consume almost unheard-of 
quantities of Bourbon and rifle-whiskey. 

"The yards of the rich are decorated with shrubbery, 
and what is far more in accordance with good taste, forest 
trees are left standing and neatly trimmed — a custom 
which has been too sadly neglected in the North. There 
are several substantial brick and frame business-houses, 
all of which have have been stripped and deserted. 

" Not enough of the Corinthians remained to welcome us, 
to give me any idea of what the mass of the citizens are 
like. A few poor persons, the druggist referred to, and 
the Mayor's clerk, and two or three wealthy females, were 
all that were to be found. The poor were nearly starved, 
and were disposed to welcome any change, as it might 
bring relief, but could not add to their suffering. They 
walked curiously around, observing the movements of the 
soldiers, astonished at the comparatively handsome uniform 
they wore, and gratified that the fears they had felt had 
not been realized. The weathly females looked from the 
windows of their mansions upon the Union troops, affect- 
ing the greatest" scorn and disdain for the Yankees, who 
viewed them in return rather in a spirit of pity than 
revenge. 

"One of the Rebel commanders, unaware of our presence, 
called around him a brigade and commenced addressing 
them in something like the following strain : 

" *SoNS OF THE South : We are here to defend our 
homes, our wives and daughters, against the horde of van- 
dals who have come here to possess the first and violate 



2l6 A REBEL SPEECH CU7 SHORT. 

the last. Here upon this sacred soil we have assembled 
to drive back the Northern invaders — drive them' into the 
Tennessee. Will you follow me .-* If we cannot hold this 
place, we can defend no spot of our Confederacy, Shall 
we drive the invaders back, and strike to death the men 
who would desecrate our homes } Is there a man so base 
among those who hear me, as to retreat from the contem- 
tible foe before us ? I will never blanch before their 

fire, nor .' 

"At this interesting period the signal was given, and 
six shell fell in the vicinity of the gallant officer and his 
men, who suddenly forgot their fiery r«solves, and fled in 
confusion to their breastworks." 



CHAPTER XVI, 

MEMPHIS, VICKSBURG AND ARKANSAS POST. 

Changes in Command — Restoring Order at Memphis — Sherman's 
Views of the Situation — Grant's Critical Position — Moving 
Against Pemberton — Meeting with Porter — The Expedition 
against Vicksburg — Why it did not Succeed — The Surrender at 
Holly Springs — Sherman Removed from Command — The Capture 
OF Arkansas Post — General McClernand. 

The meagre honors of the Corinth campaign belonged 
to Sherman. This fact was recognized at the time by 
Grant, who wrote : " His services as Division Commander 
in the advance on Corinth, I will venture to say, were ap- 
preciated by General Halleck beyond those of any other 
division commander." The War Department appreciated 
them, too, for on May 26th gave him a commission, dated 
May I St, as Major-General of Volunteers. It has been 
said, probably with justice, that had Halleck remained at 
St, Louis and let Grant conduct the campaign against 
Corinth, Beauregard and his whole army would have shared 
the fate of Buckner and his forces at Fort Donelson. But 
Halleck's over-cautiousness in approaching fortifications 
that were armed chiefly with " Quaker guns," allowed his 
prey to escape. And even after the flight of Beauregard 
from Corinth, Halleck made no important effort to pursue 
and capture him. Sherman was sent through the town, 
219 13 



220 ARMY CHANGES. 

and a few miles beyond, to see if he could find anybody to 
fight, and then, finding none, went into camp at Chewalla, 
where he busied himself for a time with putting railroad 
rolling stock in order for the use of the army. 

And now Halleck dispersed the great army he had 
gathered. He sent Buell and his troops toward Chatta- 
nooga, and Pope to Missouri ; while Grant with a fragment 
was to remain in command in Western Tennessee and 
Northern Mississippi. Halleck himself had intended 
doubtless to pursue his march southward to the Gulf of 
Mexico, hoping to free the Mississippi as he went, for Far- 
ragut had already opened the mouth of that river. This 
was a magnificent programme, but the energy of the Rebel 
government had materially disarranged it. Jefferson 
Davis became furiously angry with Beauregard for his 
defeats at Shiloh and Corinth, and removed him from com- 
mand, putting Bragg in his place. At the same time con- 
scription enormously swelled the Rebel ranks. McClel- 
lan's movements in Virginia did not seem to secure Wash- 
ington. He, moreover, was soon removed and Halleck 
was called from the West to take his place. This left 
Grant in command in Tennessee. Buell as ordered, hur- 
ried toward Chattanooga. But Bragg was there before 
him, and fortified. Not only that, but he gathered such an 
army as was a menace to Kentucky and Ohio. Buell re- 
treated, and more troops had to be taken from Grant's 
army to support him. This depletion of his forces made 
it impossible for Grant to continue the southward march. 
But his stern tenacity of purpose held him where he was, 
keeping an unyielding grip, though against great odds, on 
all that had thus far been gained. 

On June 9th, Sherman set out for Grand Junction, an 
important railroad centre and strategic point, fifty-two 



SHERMAN A T MEMPHIS. ' 221 

miles west of Memphis. He took his own division and 
Hurlbut's, and on the 13th occupied Grand Junction. 
The enemy were at Tupelo, Miss., forty-nine miles below 
Corinth. Sherman remained at or near Grand Junction 
for some weeks, engaged in repairing and protecting the 
railroads and in similar work. His experience there was 
one long wrangle with the planters, who were trying to 
cultivate the soil, and were constantly complaining of the 
damage done by the moving armies. 

Halleck reached Washington early m July, and on the 
15th of that month Grant directed Sherman to proceed to 
Memphis and take command of that important place. 
Memphis was in a bad plight. Nearly all the men had 
left the city to enter the Rebel army or to avoid the Union 
troops, and the place had fallen into the hands of a horde 
of speculators. Sherman undertook to establish order and 
govern the place as a military post. His instructions were 
few ; he was to act upon his own discretion. He assumed 
command at Memphis on July 21st, and immediately in 
his vigorous way set about the construction of defenses 
and the evolution of law and order from the prevailing 
anarchy. Wherever the head of the family had joined the 
Rebel army, the family was compelled to go South. All 
buildings belonging to Rebels were at once seized and 
rented. The mayor and other civil officers were allowed 
to continue their functions. No oath of allegiance was 
enacted from the residents who remained in the city, 
Sherman regarding the fact of their remaining as a profes- 
sion of loyalty ; but if they aided the Rebel cause in any 
way, they were treated as spies. Trade in cotton, except 
on contracts to be paid at the end of the war, was entirely 
prohibited. The slave question then caused not a little 
trouble. The Government had not yot fully decided to 



222 VIEWS OF THE SITUATION. 

free them. But Sherman kept careful account of all the 
work done for him by negroes, so that the Government 
might pay for their services at the end of the war, if it so 
decided. Guerrillas he suppressed remorselessly, hunting 
them down like so many wild beasts. And he enforced 
the lex talionis. If a loyal family was harassed by Rebels, 
he visited wrath upon the nearest secessionists. If the 
property of a loyal man was destroyed, he destroyed 
an equal amount of enemy's property. For every 
steamboat attacked by guerrillas, he drove ten seces- 
sionist families into exile. These stern measures, which 
he justified by the Jaws of war, soon restored order to 
Memphis. 

A capital idea of the situation in that part of the 
country in the summer of 1862, may be obtained from the 
following characteristic letter, which Sherman wrote to his 
brother John under date of Memphis, August 13th : 

" My Dear Brother : — I have not written to you for 
so long that I suppose you think I have dropped the 
correspondence. For six weeks I was marching along the 
road from Corinth to Memphis, mending roads, building 
bridges and all sorts of work. At last I got here and 
found the city contributing gold, arms, powder, salt and 
everything the enemy wanted. It was a smart trick on 
their part, thus to give up Memphis, that the desire of 
gain to our Northern merchants should supply them with 
the things needed in war. I stopped this at once, and de- 
clared gold, silver. Treasury notes and salt as much con- 
traband of war as powder. I have one man under sen- 
tence of death for smuggling arms across the lines, and 
hope Mr. Lincoln will approve it. But the mercenary 
spirit of our people is too much, and my orders arc re- 
versed and I am ordered to encourage the trade in cotton, 



**A YEAR OF BUNGLING." 223 

and all orders prohibiting gold, silver and notes to be paid 
for it are annulled by orders from Washington. 

" Grant promptly ratified my order, and all military men 
here saw at once that gold spent for cotton went to the 
purchase of arms and munitions of war. But what are 
the lives of our soldiers to the profits of the merchants ? 

" After a whole year of bungling the country has at last 
discovered that we want more men. All knew it last fall 
as well as now; but it was not popular. Now 13,000,000 
(the General evidently intended only 1,300,000) men are 
are required when 700,000 was deemed absurd before. It 
will take time to work up these raw recruits and they 
will reach us in October, when we should be in Jackson, 
Meridian and Vicksburg. Still I must not growl. I have 
purposely put back and have no right to criticise, save 
that I am glad the papers have at last found out we are at 
war and have a formidable enemy to combat. 

" Of course I approve the Confiscation Act, and would 
be willing to revolutionize the Government so as to amend 
that article of the Constitution which forbids the forfeiture 
of land to the heirs. My full belief is we must colonize 
the country de novo, beginning with Kentucky and Tennes- 
see, and should remove four milHon of our people at once 
south of the Ohio River, taking the farms and plantations 
of the Rebels. I deplore the war as much as ever, but if 
the thing has to be done, let the means be adequate. 
Don't expect to overrun such a country or subdue such a 
people in one, two or five years. It is the task of half a 
century. 

" Although our army is thus far South, it cannot stir 
from our garrisons. Our men are killed or captured with- 
in sight of our lines. I have two divisions here — mine 
and Hurlbut's — about 13,000 men; am building a strong 



224 NEEDS OF ORGANIZATION. 

fort, and think this is to be one of the depots and bases 
of operations for future movements. 

"The loss of Halleck is almost fatal. We have no one 
to replace him. Instead of having one head, we have five 
or six, all independent of each other. I expect our enemies 
will mass their troops and fall upon our detachments before 
new reinforcements come. I cannot learn that there are 
any large bodies of men near us here. There are detach- 
ments at Holly Springs near Senatobia, the present termini 
of the railroads from the South ; and all the people of the 
country are armed as guerrillas. Curtis is at Helena, 
eighty miles south, and Grant at Corinth, Bragg's army 
from Tripoli has moved to Chattanooga and proposes to 
march on Nashville, Lexington and Cincinnati. They will 
have about 75,000 men. Buell is near Huntsville with 
about 30,000, and I suppose detachments of the new levies 
can be put in Kentucky from Ohio and Indiana in time. 
The weather is very hot, and Bragg cannot move his forces 
very fast ; but I fear he will give trouble. My own opinion 
is, we ought not to venture too much into the interior until 
the river is safely in our possession, when we could land 
at any point and strike inland. To attempt to hold all the 
South would demand an army too large even to think of. 
We must colonize and settle as we go South, for in 
Missouri there is as much strife as ever. Enemies must 
be killed or transported to some other country. 
" Your affectionate brother, 

* W. T. Sherman." 

Near the end of August, Sherman wrote to Grant as 
follows : 

"The guerrillas have destroyed several bridges over Wolf 
Creek ; one at Raleigh, on the road by which I had pre- 
scribed trade and travel to and from the city. I have a 



A REPORT TO GRANT. 225 

Strong guard at the lower bridge over Wolf River, by 
which we can reach the country to the north of that 
stream ; but, as the Confederates have burned their own 
bridges, I will hold them to my order, and allow no trade 
over any other road than the one prescribed, using the 
lower or Randolph road for our own convenience. I am 
still satisfied there is no large force of Rebels any- 
where in the neighborhood. All the navy gunboats are 
below, except the St. Louis, which lies off the city. When 
Commodore Davis passes down from Cairo, I will try to 
see him, and get him to exchange the St. Louis for a 
fleeter boat, not iron-clad ; one that can move up and down 
the river. Of course, in spite of all our efforts, smuggling 
is carried on. We occasionally make hauls of clothing, 
gold-lace, buttons, etc., but I am satisfied that salt and 
arms are got to the interior somehow. I have addressed 
the Board of Trade a letter on this point, which will en- 
able us to control it better. 

" You may have been troubled at hearing reports of 
drunkenness here. There was some after pay-day, but 
generally all is as quiet and orderly as possible. I traverse 
the city every day and night, and assert that Memphis is 
and has been as orderly a city as St. Louis, Cincinnati, or 
New York. 

"Before the city authorities undertook to license saloons 
there was as much whisky here as now, and it would take 
all my command as custom-house inspectors to break open 
all the parcels and packages containing liquor. I can de- 
stroy all groggeries and shops where soldiers get liquor, 
just as we would in St. Louis. 

"The newspapers are accusing me of cruelty to the 
sick ; as base a charge as was ever made. I would not let 
the Sanitary Committee carry off a boat-load of sick, 



226 A VICTOR Y AT CORINTH. 

because I have no right to. We have good hospitals here, 
and plenty of them. Our regimental hospitals are in the 
camps of the men, and the sick do much better there than 
in the general hospitals ; so say my division surgeon and 
the regimental surgeons. The civilian doctors would, if 
permitted, take away our entire command. General Curtis 
sends his sick up here, but usually no nurses; and it is 
not right that nurses should be taken from my command 
for his sick. I think that when we are endeavoring to 
raise soldiers and to instruct them, it is bad policy to keep 
them at hospitals as attendants and nurses." 

Early in September the Rebels, under Van Dorn, seri- 
ously menaced the line held by Grant's depleted army, 
and Grant had to call upon Sherman for aid. All through 
that month Sherman held Memphis with a mere handful 
of troops, and sent the rest of his forces out to make raids 
and draw Van Dorn's attention away from Grant. But at 
the opening of October the Rebels struck the blow they 
had so long threatened. Van Dorn made a furious 
attack upon Corinth. Rosecrans defended the place with 
equal vigor, and the Rebels were repulsed with dreadful 
slaughter. Unfortunately this Union victory was not fol- 
lowed up with sufficient celerity, and Van Dorn managed 
to retire to Holly Springs and there reorganize his shat- 
tered forces. But the victory at Corinth changed the 
condition of affairs throughout all that region. In Memphis 
the Secessionists admitted that their cause was lost. The 
Union army, so long on the defensive, resumed the offen- 
sive. Both sides were reinforced, and preparations were 
made for another act in the great drama. Of the Union 
reinforcements, two brigades Were sent to Sherman, at 
Memphis, and he began drilling them for more serious 
work. 



MO VI NG A GAINST P EMBER TON. 227 

At the middle of November, Grant sent for Sherman to 
meet him at Columbus, Kentucky, bringing with him a 
good map of the country to the southward. At that meet- 
ing Grant explained his plans for the winter's campaign. 
His army now occupied the line from Memphis to Corinth, 
and he proposed to move at once against Pemberton, who 
was with the Rebel army near Holly Springs, behind the 
Tallahatchie River. He would personally move on Holly 
Springs, and McPherson would meet him there with the 
forces now at Corinth. Sherman was to leave a small gar- 
rison at Memphis, and lead the rest of his forces to meet 
Grant and McPherson. This movement against Pember- 
ton was preliminary to the greater work of taking Vicks- 
burg. The plan was carefully carried out. The three 
forces moved simultaneously against Pemberton, and at 
the same time General C. C. Washburne, under Sherman's 
orders, crossed the Mississippi with live thousand cavalry, 
from Helena, Arkansas, and marched toward Grenada, in 
the rear of Pemberton's army. This movement alarmed 
Pemberton, and he hastily abandoned his works and re- 
treated to Grenada. Sherman joined Grant at Oxford, 
Miss., early in December, and then a dispatch came from 
Halleck, who was at Washington, urging Grant to proceed 
with the campaign against Vicksburg, with the aid of 
Porter's fleet and any other available assistance. 

Grant and Sherman discussed the proposed move- 
ment fully, and finally agreed upon a plan. Sherman 
was to be heavily reinforced at Memphis, and would 
have the co-operation of Porter's gunboats. He was 
to make a swift movement on the Yazoo, and take 
Vicksburg from the rear, while Grant, at Oxford, held 
Pemberton in check. Banks was then supposed to be 
moving up the river from New Orleans, and everything 



228 SHERMAN AND PORTER A T MEMPHIS. 

bade fair for the opening of the whole Mississippi. 
Sherman would have about forty thousand men, and 
would conduct the campaign almost entirely according to 
his own discretion, Grant's instructions to him being of 
the most rudimentary description. So he returned to 
Memphis and prepared for the work before him. 

Sherman and Porter met at Memphis. Porter has left 
on record his impressions of Sherman, and the latter's 
appearance and conduct at their first interview there. 
Porter expected to find Sherman in a full-dress uniform, and 
accordingly arrayed himself in all the splendor of the 
Navy. But 5herman, having heard that Porter disliked 
fuss and feathers, and generally dressed in working clothes, 
decided to do likewise himself. The result was that when 
they met Porter was sumptuously arrayed in blue and gold, 
and Sherman had on an old and much worn suit of flan- 
nel, and each was much surprised at the appearance of the 
other. Sherman's first words were : " Hello, Porter, I'm 
glad to see you. You got here sooner than I expected, 
but I guess we can get off to-night. Mighty cold, isn't it } 
Sit down and get warm." Then he turned to a servant 
and told him to put some shirts and underclothes in a 
gripsack, and "don't bother me with a trunk and traps 
enough for a regiment." 

It was intended to set out on December i8th, but the 
lack of steamboat transportation delayed them until 
December 20th, when the start was actually made. Before 
embarking Sherman issued the following unique orders : 

"I. The expedition now fitting out is purely of a mili- 
tary character, and the interests involved are of too impor- 
tant a character to be mixed up with personal and private 
business. No citizen, male or female, will be allowed to 
accompany it, unless employed as part of a crew, or as 



ORDERS FOR THE VIC KS BURG EXPEDITION. 229 

servants to the transports. Female chambermaids to the 
boats, and nurses to the sick alone, will be allowed, unless 
the wives of captains and pilots actually belonging to the 
boats. No laundress, officer's or soldier's wife must pass 
below Helena. 

" II. No person whatever, citizen, officer, or sutler, will, 
on any consideration, buy or deal in cotton, or other pro- 
duce of the country. Should any cotton be brought on 
board of any transport, going or returning, the brigade 
quartermaster, of which the boat forms a part, will take 
possession of it and invoice it to Captain A. R. Eddy, 
Chief Quartermaster at Memphis. 

"III. Should any cotton or other produce be brought 
back to Memphis by any chartered boat. Captain Eddy 
will take possession of the same, and sell it for the benefit 
of the United States. If accompanied by its actual pro- 
ducer, the planter or factor, the quartermaster will furnish 
him a receipt for the same, to be settled for on proof of his 
loyalty at the close of the war. 

" IV. Boats ascending the river may take cotton from 
the shore for bulkheads to protect their engines or crew, 
but on the arrival at Memphis it must be turned over to 
the quartermaster, with a statement of the time, place and 
name of its owner. The trade in cotton must await a 
more peaceful state of affairs. 

" V. Should any citizen accompany the expedition below 
Helena, in violation of those orders, any colonel of a regi- 
ment, or captain of a battery, will conscript him into the 
service of the United States for the unexpired term of his 
command. If he shows a refractory spirit, unfitting him for 
a soldier, the commanding officer present will turn him over 
to the captain of the boat as a deck-hand, and compel him 



230 MOVING UP THE RIVER. 

to work in that capacity, without wages, until the boat 
returns to Memphis. 

"VI. Any person whatever, whether in the service of 
the United States or transports, found making reports for 
pubHcation which might reach the enemy, giving them 
information, aid and comfort, will be arrested and treated 
as spies." 

Sherman had full command of this expedition, which 
was organized in three divisions. He appointed A. J. 
Smith commander of the First Division, Morgan L. Smith 
of the Second Division, and G. W. Morgan of the Third 
Division. These forces comprised thirty thousand and 
sixty-eight officers and men, and at Helena they were 
joined byprederick Steele's Division, with twelve thousand 
three hundred and ten more. On Christmas eve they 
reached Milliken's Bend, and on Christmas day a portion 
of the First Division landed and broke up the Vicksburg 
and Texas Railroad for a long distance near the crossing 
of the Texas. Sherman meanwhile pushed on and landed 
the second division opposite the mouth of the Yazoo, to 
break up the same road at another point, only eight miles 
from Vicksburg. The next day the remainder of the army, 
escorted by Porter's gunboats, went up the Yazoo about 
twelve miles. At noon of December 27th, Sherman's 
entire command was landed on the south bank of the 
Yazoo, near the mouth of the Chikasaw Bayou. They 
were really on an island, densely wooded, and surrounded 
by swamps and quicksand. They drove the enemy's 
pickets toward Vicksburg and then began to explore the 
country, which they found to be the worst piece of land 
they had ever been on. Nature seemed to have done her 
utmost to prevent their further movement forward, and 
the art of the enemy had greatly increased the difficulties 



A GALLANT ATTACK. 23 1 

of the situation. Several futile attemps were made to 
advance to a more advantageous position, and then, on the 
morning of December 29th, Sherman ordered a general 
show of attack all along the line, while an actual advance 
across the bayou was to be made at two points. 

The movement was as well planned as was possible 
under the circumstances, and was executed with almost 
superhuman valor. Sherman's men rushed at the bluffs 
which were crowned with Rebel batteries, and fought their 
way up the steep front with desperate valor. They 
actually with their fingers scooped out hollow caves in 
which to be sheltered from the fire of the enemy, and all 
along the line performed prodigies of heroism. But the 
Rebel works were impregnable, and they had at last to fall 
back to their old position. Two other attacks were 
planned, but were abandoned because of the inability of 
the gunboats to co-operate. Meantime nothing was 
heard from Grant, who was to have come up before this. 
So, on January 2d, Sherman reluctantly re-embarked 
his troops, and returned to Milliken's Bend where, on 
January 4th, 1863, he relinquished his command to 
McClernand who had been sent to relieve him. Sherman 
took leave of his troops through the following farewell 
order : 

" Pursuant to the terms of General Order No. i, made 
this day by General McClernand, the title of our army 
ceases to exist, and constitutes in the future the Army of 
the Mississippi, composed of two 'army corps,' one to be 
commanded by General G. W. Morgan, and the other by 
myself. In relinquishing the command of the Army of 
the Tennessee, and restricting my authority to my own 
' corps,' I desire to express to all commanders, to the 
soldiers and officers recently operating before Vicksburg, 



232 SHERMAN'S FAREWELL TO HIS TROOPS. 

my hearty thanks for the zeal, alacrity, and courage mani- 
fested by them on all occasions. We failed in accomplish- 
ing one great purpose of our movement, the capturing of 
Vicksburg, but we were part of a whole. Ours was but 
part of a combined movement in which others were to 
assist. We were on time. Unforeseen contingencies 
must have delayed the others. 

" We have destroyed the Shreveport road, we have 
attacked the defences of Vicksburg, and pushed the attack 
as far as prudence would justify ; and having found it too 
strong for our single column, we have drawn off in good 
order and good spirits, ready for any new move. A new 
commander is now here to lead you. He is chosen by the 
President of the United States, who is charged by the 
Constitution to maintain and defend it, and he has the 
undoubted right to select his own agents. I know that 
all good officers and soldiers will give him the same hearty 
support and cheerful obedience they have hitherto given 
me. There are honors enough in reserve for all, and work 
enough too. Let each do his appropriate part, and our 
nation must in the end emerge from this dire conflict, puri- 
fied and ennobled by the fires which now test its strength 
ana purity." 

It should be explained that Grant had not come up to 
join in the demonstration against Vicksburg because, on 
Decem.ber 20th one of his subordinates had in a most dis- 
graceful manner surrendered Holly Springs, with its 
immense store of supplies, to the Rebels. The failure of 
Sherman's expedition caused a great outcry against him 
throughout the country, and he was charged with incapa- 
city, how unjustly the simple narrative fully demonstrates. 
Long afterward, when Vicksburg had finally been taken, 
Grant officially declared : " General Sherman's arrange- 



WHY THE EXPEDITION FAILED. 233 

nient, as commander of troops in the attack on Chickasaw 
Bluffs, was admirable. Seeing the ground from the oppo- 
site side of the attack afterwards, I saw the impossi- 
bility of making it successful." Sherman's losses in the 
attack were 175 killed, 930 wounded, and 743 prisoners. 
The Rebel losses were 63 killed, 134 wounded, and 10 
prisoners. As a result of this miscarriage, and of the 
miserable surrender at Holly Springs, Pemberton was left 
free, with his powerful army, to fall back and occupy 
Vicksburg, and thus to hold it for a long time against the 
combined attacks of the Union Army and Navy. Sher- 
man's own estimate of his work, in his farewell orders to 
his troops, must be regarded as entirely just, and it is 
amply corroborated by the testimony of Grant and 
Porter. 

"The expedition failed," says General Grant, "more 
from want of knowledge as to what would be required to 
open this route than from any impracticability in the navi- 
gation of the streams and bayous through which it was 
proposed to pass. Want of this knowledge led the expedi- 
tion on until difficulties were encountered, and then it 
would become necessary to send back to Young's Point 
for the means of removing them. This gave the enemy 
time to remove forces to effectually checkmate further 
progress, and the expedition was withdrawn when within 
a few hundred yards of free and open navigation to the 
Yazoo." 

Admiral Porter also, in his official report, speaks of the 
want of means of moving the troops through the bayous, 
as the chief difficulty ; " for," he remarks, " there were 
never yet any two men who would labor harder than Gen- 
erals Grant and Sherman to forward an expedition for the 
overthrow of Vicksburg." He continues: "The army 



234 REORGANIZING THE ARMY. 

officers worked like horses to enable them to accomplish 
what was desired. . . . No other general could have 
done better, or as well as Sherman, but he had not the 
means for this peculiar kind of transportation." 

Under orders brought by McClernand the Army of the 
Tennessee was divided in four corps, known as the 
Thirteenth, Fifteenth, Sixteenth and Seventeenth, com- 
manded respectively by McClernand, Sherman, Hurlbut 
and McPherson, Grant remaining commander of the 
whole. Sherman's corps formed the right wing, and con- 
sisted of the First Division, under General Steele, and 
the Second Division under General David Stuart, in the 
absence of Morgan L. Smith. Immediately upon arriving 
at Milliken's Bend, on January 4th, the expedition was 
sent on in the same boats, escorted by Porter's gunboats, 
to attack Arkansas Post, or Fort Hindman, an old settle- 
ment on the north bank of the Arkansas River, fifty miles 
from its mouth. This Fort was a very strong work, situ- 
ated on a high bluff at the head of a horseshoe bend in the 
river. It was strongly armed and garrisoned by five 
thousand men under General Churchill, who had been 
directed to hold the place till his last man was dead. 
Sherman himself suggested the movement against this 
place, considering the capture of it necessary to the re- 
duction of Vicksburg and freeing of the Mississippi. 

On the^'^^ht of January 4th Sherman and McClernand 
went into Porter's cabin on the Black Hawk, and dis- 
cussed the expedition, asking Porter for his co-operation. 
Porter sat up in his bed and told them that he was short 
of coal and could not use wood for fuel. He addressed 
McClernand with a curtness amounting almost to dis- 
courtesy and Sherman watched his opportunity to get him 
to go into another room, and there asked him what he 







ADM1RA.L DAVID D. PUKTEK. 



ATTACK ON ARKANSAS POST. 237 

meant by it. Porter replied that he did not like McCler- 
nand, that he had long had a strong prejudice against him. 
Thereupon Sherman begged him, for the sake of the Union 
cause, to sink all personal feeling and do his best to work in 
harmony with McClernand. Porter promised to do so, 
and the discussion with McClernand was resumed. It 
was finally agreed that both McClernand and Porter were 
to go along with the expedition. 

They proceeded up the White River and through the 
cut-off to the Arkansas, and thus reached Notrib's farm, 
three miles from Fort Hindman. There, on the evening 
of January 9th, they disembarked, and on the next day 
moved forward to invest the fort. Sherman's men took 
the advance and Sherman himself during the night crept 
forward to behind a stump so close to the Rebel lines that 
he could hear them at work, preparing for defence. He 
was thus listening to them at work, preparing for defence. 
He was thus listening to them, when, early in the morning, 
a Rebel bugler sounded "as pretty a reveille as I ever 
heard." Early on January nth Sherman got his forces 
into position for attack, and told McClernand that he was 
ready for the assault as soon as the gunboats would open 
fire. At one P. M. the gunboats began and so did the 
field batteries. The enemy did not reply, and in about 
fifteen minutes Sherman ordered his columns forward. 
The infantry rushed forward with a cheer, dashed across a 
hundred yards of open ground, and then reached a strip 
about three hundred yards wide, covered with timber, 
underbrush and logs, and much cut up with gulleys 
Here they encountered a fierce fire from the enemy, and 
their advance was checked. But by three o'clock they 
were within a hundred yards of the enemy's intrenchment, 
and could now see Porter's gunboats close to the fort, 

14 



23S THE CAPTURE COMPLETED. 

For an hour the fight raged furiously, and then, at fout 
o'clock, the enemy raised white flags all along his line, 
Sherman instantly ordered his men to stop firing, and at 
the same time sent General Steele with a brigade down 
the bayou at the right to prevent the enemy from retreat- 
ing ia that direction. He then sent an officer forward to 
the enemy's lines and followed in person with his staff. 
He found that the fire of his troops had destroyed the 
enemy's intrenchments and that they could resist no 
longer. Meeting Colonel Garland, Sherman asked him 
who commanded the fort. Garland replied that General 
Churchill did. " Where is he } " asked Sherman. " Inside 
the fort," said Garland. So Sherman rode into the fort, 
which, he observed, was well built and capable of much 
further defence. He found it, however, full of soldiers 
and sailors from Porter's gunboats, and the boats them- 
selves were anchored at the river bank close by. 

Sherman found Churchill in conversation with Porter 
and A. J. Smith. But he had hardly greeted them before a 
report came in that General Deshler, who commanded a 
brigade of Rebel forces, had refused to surrender because 
he had received no orders from from Churchill to that 
effect, and the fighting was therefore likely to be resumed 
at once. Accordingly Sherman and Churchill personally 
hurried to the scene. On their way they met Colonel 
Garland, who had first displayed the white flag, and 
Churchill angrily asked him why he had done so. Garland 
replied that one of Churchill's own staff had ordered him to. 
Churchill denied having authorized any such order, and a 
quarrel arose between the two men, which Sherman ended 
by curtly remarking that it made no difference whether 
Churchill had ordered the surrender or not, for they and 
their troops were now all his prisoners. Then they went 



M' CLE RN AMD'S E'XUL 7 A TION. 239 

on to where Deshler and his men were still holding out. 
Sherman rode straight up to Deshler and asked him what 
he meant by his conduct, telling him that he ought to 
know better. Deshler replied curtly, that he had not been 
ordered by his superior officer to surrender. Thereupon 
Churchill told him that he was in Sherman's power and 
might as well give in. This ended the episode. Deshler 
told his men to stack arms, and the capture of Arkansas 
Post was complete. 

The Union loss in this engagement was 129 killed, 831 
wounded and 17 missing, the majority being in Sherman's 
own corps. General Churchill reported the Rebel loss at 
75 or 80 wounded and an unknown number killed, but 
these figures were grossly inaccurate ; the Rebel loss was 
much heavier than that of the Union army. By this 
surrender there fell into the hands of the Union army 
five thousand men, seventeen cannon, three thousand small 
arms in good condition, and forty-six thousand rounds 
of ammunition. The prisoners were sent to St. Louis, 
the fortifications were destroyed, and on January 15th the 
troops re-embarked and returned to Milliken's Bend, 
Sherman was now anxious to move directly toward Little 
Rock and drive the scattered Rebel forces south of the 
river, but McClernand would not agree to this. 

McClernand was greatly elated over the result of this 
expedition, and took the credit practically all to himself. 
" It is glorious, glorious !" he exclaimed to Sherman, "my 
star is in the ascendant." He praised the conduct of the 
troops highly, but almost ignored the Navy, being exceed- 
ingly jealous of Porter. Indeed in his official report of 
the capture, he scarcely mentioned the action of the fleet. 
This was unjust, for the gunboats rendered highly im- 
portant services and Porter led the attack in person. 



240 SffER MAN'S ACTIVITY. 

McClernand, however, condescended to speak pleasantly 
of his subordinate officers, saying : " General Sherman 
exhibited his usual activity and enterprise ; General Mor- 
gan proved his tactical skill and strategic talent ; while 
Generals Steele, Smith, Osterhaus and Stuart, and the 
several brigade commanders, displayed the fitting qualities 
of brave and successful officers." 



CHAPTER XVII. 

VICKSBURG. 

Co-operation of Grant and Porter — Grand Gulf and Sherman's 

Demonstration on the Yazoo — The Advance on Vicksburg 

Capture of Jackson — Gallant Assults upon the Works at Vicks- 
burg — The Siege — Sherman Holding Johnston at Bay — Surrender 
OF Vicksburg — Flight of Johnston — Important Results of thb 
Campaign — Sherman's Meed of Praise. • 

The repulse of Sherman's expedition at Milliken's Bend 
only made Grant the more determined to reduce Vicks- 
burg, and, as he still retained his well-grounded confidence 
in Sherman, he retained him as his chief aid in the great 
work. His plan now was to conduct his army by land to 
New Carthage, twenty-three miles below Milliken's Bend, 
to run the transports thence through the canal or past the 
batteries, and then to cross the river and attack Vicksburg 
from the west and south. McClernand's corps commenced 
this movement on March 29th, and on account of floods 
and bad roads made slow progress. Porter entered into 
the execution of Grant's plans with his customary zeal, 
and on April i6th ran his fleet and three laden transports 
past the batteries of Vicksburg. A few days later five 
more transports and twelve barges were run past the bat- 
teries, a number of the barges being badly injured by the 
enemy's fire. 
241 



242 THE ATTACK ON GRAND GULF. 

Grant issued final orders for this campaign on April 20th. 
McCIernand had the right, McPherson the centre, and 
Sherman the left. The army moved forward slowly until 
April 26th, when it became evident that the march must 
be continued beyond New Carthage. Grant then directed 
Sherman to wait until the roads were in better condition, 
or the canals were finished. 

.Two days later he told Sherman that on the next day, 
April 29th, Grand Gulf was to be attacked, and he sug- 
gested that Sherman would do well to make at the same 
time a feint on the Rebel batteries on the Yazoo, near 
Haines's Bluff. Sherman undertook to do this, making 
as great a show of attack as possible, with the object of 
preventing the Rebels from sending reinforcements from 
Vicksburg to Grand Gulf. This movement succeeded 
admirably. Sherman went up the Yazoo with a number 
of gunboats and on April 30th, early in the morning, began 
a vigorous fire upon the enemy's batteries. This was con- 
tinued for four hours. Later in the day he landed his 
troops in full view of the enemy as though about to order 
a charge upon their works. The Rebels evidently ex- 
pected that the charge was to be made, for they kept them- 
selves in a state of preparation to meet it. Sherman's 
troops, however, contented themselves with keeping up 
appearances until night, when they returned to the 
boats. The next day the same manoeuvres were con- 
tinued. Then orders came from Grant to proceed at once 
to Grand Gulf, and Sherman quietly dropped back from the 
scene of the sham attack. His losses amounted to one 
man wounded. 

Meantime the Thirteenth Army Corps had been moved 
down to Grand Gulf, ready to storm the Rebel work as 
soon as Porter's gunboats had silenced the batteries. A 



THE GENERAL ADVANCE. 243 

vigorous fire was kept up for more than five hours, but the 
enemy's batteries proved too strong, and a change of plan 
was necessary. Grant accordingly took his troops back 
some distance, disembarked and marched across to the 
plain just below Grand Gulf. That night the transports 
and barges were conveyed past the batteries in safety, the 
gunboats following, and early on the morning of April 
30th the troops were taken across the river. Some days 
of skirmishing and manceuvring followed, and on the third 
of May it was found that the enemy had fled from Grand 
Gulf, toward either Vicksburg or Jackson. Grant 
accordingly halted his army to wait for Sherman's arrival, 
and personally went back to Grand Gulf. 

Sherman reached Young's Point on May ist, and the 
next morning sent his Second Division up to Milliken's 
Bend. Sherman himself with the other two divisions 
marched on to join Grant. The junction was effected on 
May 8th. The day before Grant had ordered a general 
advance, which was now begun. McPherson at the right, 
was to move by the way of Rocky Springs and Raymond, 
to Jackson ; McClernand at the left, was to go through 
Willow Springs, keeping as near the Black River as pos- 
sible ; while Sherman was to move on Edward's Station, 
striking the railroad between that point and Bolton. On 
May loth Sherman destroyed the bridge over the Big 
Black River, and on the nth he reached Auburn. The 
:.ext day he dispersed a small force of the enemy at the 
crossing of Fourteen Mile Creek, and that evening met 
Grant just beyond the creek and went into camp. Word 
now came from McPherson that he had defeated two 
Rebel brigades at Raymond, and that the enemy had re 
treated to Jackson, where reinforcements were arriving, 
and where Joseph E. Johnston was to command. 



244 IN LINE OF BATTLE. 

Grant now determined to make sure of Jackson, and to 
leave no enemy behind him. ** So he directed Sherman 
and McClernand to march at once to Raymond, On May 
14th Sherman and McPherson met the enemy near Jack- 
son, and a lively engagement ensued. Before night tht 
Rebels were defeated, and were in full flight, and that 
evening Grant, Sherman and McPherson met near the 
State House. The next day Sherman set one division of 
his army to work destroying the railroad, the arsenal, the 
government foundry, and various other military works. A 
valuable cotton factory was also destroyed because the 
machinery it contained, if regained by the Rebels, could 
be easily converted into hostile uses. The penitentiary 
was burned by convicts, who had been released by the 
Rebels, and some other buildings were accidentally de- 
stroyed. 

The Rebel General, Pemberton, with 25,000 men.and 10 
batteries, now sallied out from Vicksburg to attack Grant, 
and the latter accordingly called back all of his corps to 
assail Pemberton's position near Edward's Depot. Sherman 
made a forced march of 20 miles, and that night, arriving 
at Bolton, was ordered to move on Bridgeport to the 
right. The enemy beaten, turned back to Vicksburg. 
At Bridgeport Sherman was joined by Blair with his div- 
ision, and they crossed the Big Black River. Pressing 
steadily forward, by the morning of May i8th, Sherman 
was on the Benton Road, commanding the Yazoo, thus 
putting himself between the enemy at Vicksburg and the 
forts on the Yazoo. Grant soon came up and placed the 
whole army in line of battle, Sherman being on the right. 
When the advance was ordered, Sherman marched on the 
Haines's Bluff Road, capturing the enemy's works and 
camp, and taking many prisoners. On the morning of 



A B ESP E RATE ASSULT. 24$ 

May 19th the army encompassed the enemy north of 
Vicksburg, Sherman's command resting on the river, 
within view of the fleet, with Vicksburg itself in plain 
sight. There was nothing between Sherman and the 
Rebel army but about four hundred yards of ground, much 
cut up by almost impassable ravines and intrenchments. 
Sherman quickly sent a regiment to secure possession of 
Haines's Bluff, which was done. Communication was 
thus opened with the fleet, and bridges and roads were 
constructed, over which to bring up stores from the mouth 
of the Chickasaw Bayou, where the supply boats were ly- 
ing. From May nth to May i8th Sherman's men had 
literally lived upon the country. 

Vicksburg was now as completely invested as was possi- 
ble with the forces at hand, and the enemy was considera- 
bly demorahzed. Grant accordingly ordered a general 
assult at 2 P. M. on May 19th, The attack was made by 
Sherman's men with great vigor. The ground was very 
difficult and the enemy's works strong, and at nightfall 
Sherman had to order his men to fall back a short dis- 
tance to shelter. The next two days were spent in placing 
artillery and bringing up supplies to the troops, and on the 
morning of May 22d another general assult was made all 
along the line. No men were visible in the hostile works 
except a few sharpshooters, who were kept pretty quiet 
by the Union skirmishers. A volunteer storming party 
led Sherman's column. As they neared the works they 
had to cross a bit of open ground in full view of the 
enemy. This they did at double quick, and reached the 
salient of the bastion. As they approached the sally-port 
they were met with by a withering fire. The front ranks 
wavered. The rear pressed on valiantly, but it was im- 
possible to face the storm of lead and iron, and they had to 



246 SbCCESS OF THE SIEGE. 

seek cover. But the head of the column scaled the outer 
slope of the left face of the bastion, planted their colors, 
and then literally burrowed into the earth to gain shelter 
from the flank fire. 

Other attacks were made with great vigor by other 
brigades, Sherman keeping up meantime a furious artillery 
fire to occupy the attention of the enemy. At one time it 
was announced that McClernand had captured three of the 
Rebel forts and that his flag floated over the stronghold of 
Vicksburg ; but this proved untrue. On the strength of 
this report, however, Sherman ordered General Mower to 
charge with his brigade. This was done, with results 
similar to those at first achieved, the colors being planted 
by the side of those of the first storming party. There 
they remained until after nightfall, when they were with- 
drawn by Sherman's orders. 

This assault failed simply because the enemy's works 
were too strong to be taken in that way. The Rebels 
were able to mass at every point all the men that were 
needed to defend it, while the nature of the ground made 
it impossible for more than a few of the Union troops to 
advance at once. Grant was not, however, discouraged. 
If he could not take Vicksburg in one way, he would take 
it in another. If the drrect assult failed, he would see 
what could be done by a siege. At the siege operations 
the troops worked diligently and cheerfully. The intrench- 
ments were pushed steadily forward until the evening of 
July 3d. At that time the saps were close to the enemy's 
ditch and the mines were under his parapet. Everything 
was ready for the final attack. Grant's army had been 
strengthened by various reinforcements. Indeed it had 
been strengthened so much that he was able to spare 
Sherman from the immediate work of the siege. So he 



SHERMAN'S WORK AT VICKSBURG. 247 

placed him in command of the Ninth Corps at Haines's 
Bluff to watch J. E. Johnston. The latter had collected a 
large army at Jackson with the intention of attacking 
Grant's force in the rear, and thus raising the siege of 
Vicksburg. Sherman took up a strong position and easily 
held him at bay. Johnston, however, b»came desperate in 
his desire to save Vicksburg from capture, and on June 
29th moved out to try conclusions with Sherman. But be- 
fore his preparations for battle were complete, on July 4th, 
1863, Vicksburg surrendered. 

In his official report of the operations around Vicksburg, 
dated July 6th, Grant spoke thus of Sherman's work in hold- 
ing the enemy at bay : " Johnston, however, not attacking, I 
determined to attack him the moment Vicksburg was in our 
possession, and accordingly notified Sherman thxit I should 
again make an assult on Vicksburg at daylight on the 6th, 
and for him to have up supplies of all descriptions ready 
to move upon receipt of orders, if the assult should prove a 
success. His preparations were immediately made, and 
when the place surrendered on the 4th, two days earlier 
than I had fixed for the attack, Sherman was found ready, 
and moved at once with a force increased by the remain- 
der of both the Thirteenth and Fifteenth Army Corps, 
and is at present investing Jackston, where Johnston has 
made a stand." 

On July 9th, Sherman appeared before Jackson, having 
nmrched through fifty miles of almost desert country. 
Three days later the town was invested partially, and then 
Johnston, seeing that it was impossible for him to hold his 
ground against Sherman's determined army, evacuated the 
place and retreated to Meridian, a hundred miles away, 
burning the bridges behind him. Sherman left a small 
garrison at Jackson, and then returned to the line of the 



248 SHERMAN'S MERITS AS A SOLDIER. 

Big Black River. And thus was ended, one hundred and 
nine days from its commencement, this great campaign. 
The Union army had captured 37,000 prisoners, including 
fifteen Generals. They had driven before them and parti- 
ally dispersed another large army under the ablest of the 
Rebel leaders. They had captured Vicksburg, the Gibral- 
ter of the South. They had freed the Mississippi River 
from Rebel control. And they had split the Rebel Con- 
federacy in twain. 

Of Sherman's part in the campaign General Grant re- 
marks : " The siege of Vicksburg and last capture of 
Jackson and dispersion of Johnston's army entitle General 
Sherman to more credit than usually falls to the lot of one 
man to earn. His demonstration at Haines's Bluff, in 
April, to hold the enemy about Vicksburg, while the army 
was securing a foothold east of the Mississippi ; his rapid 
marches to join the army afterwards ; his management at 
Jackson, Mississippi, in the first attack ; his almost un- 
equalled march from Jackson to Bridgeport, and passage 
of Black River; his securing Walnut Hills on the i8th of 
May, may attest his great merit as a soldier." 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

SOME WAR CORRESPONDENCE. 

Sherman's Characteristic Letters — Congratulations to Porter at 
VicKSBURG — Views on the Reorganization of the Army — The 
Conduct of the War and the Spirit of the South — Manners 
AND Morals of the Soldiers — No Wanton Spoliation of the 
Enemy's Property — The Heroic Cartridge Boy of Vicksburg. 

Early in this volume mention was made of Sherman's 
ability as a letter-writer. Perhaps in no other way can so 
good an idea be gained of his mental characteristics as by 
perusing a few of his epistles, penned amid the scenes of 
war in which he was so important an actor. As soon as 
Vicksburg had fallen, for example, and before any attempt 
was made toward the next move in the bloody game, he 
wrote thus to Admiral Porter, with whom he had formed 
a strong and lasting friendship : 

"I can appreciate the intense satisfaction you must feel 
at lying before the very monster that has defied us with 
such deep and malignant hate, and seeing your once dis- 
united fleet again a unit ; and better still, the chain that 
made an inclosed sea of a line in the great river broken 
forever. In so magnificent a result I stop not to count 
who did it. It is done, and the day of our nation's birth 
is consecrated and baptized anew in a victory won by the 
united Navy and Army of our country. God grant that 
249 



250 SHERMAN'S LETTER TO PORTER. 

the harmony and mutual respect that exists between our 
respective commanders, and shared by all the true men 
of the joint service, may continue forever and serve to 
elevate our national character, threatened with shipwreck. 
Thus I muse as I sit in my solitary camp out in the wood 
far from the point for which we have justly striven so long 
and so well, and though personal curiosity would tempt me 
to go and and see the frowning batteries and sunken pits 
that have defied us so long, and sent to their silent graves 
so many of our early comrades in the enterprise, I feel 
that other tasks lie before me, and time must not be lost. 
Without casting anchor, and despite the heat and the dust 
and drought, I must go again into the bowels of the land 
to make the conquest of Vicksburg fulfil all the conditions 
it should in the progress of this war. Whether success 
attend my efforts or not, I know that Admiral Porter will 
ever accord to me the exhibition of a pure and unselfish 
zeal in the service of our country. 

"Though further apart, the navy and army will 
still act in concert, and I assure yow I shall never reach 
the banks of the river or see a gunboat, but I will think of 
Admiral Porter, Captain Breese, and the many elegant 
and accomplished gentlemen it has been my good fortune 
to meet on armed or unarmed decks of the Mississippi 
Squadron." 

In 1863 new levies were raised for the armies, by con- 
scription. The Conscription Act was resisted by Rebel 
sympathizers and the criminal classes generally in several 
places, notably in New York City, wiiere the atrocious 
" Draft riots " occurred. Elsewhere the call was responded 
to with patriotic cheerfulness. Sherman had some decided 
views as to the manner in which the new troops should be 
employed. He thought it would be a waste of material to 



IlOiy TO USE NEW RECRUITS. 25 1 

organize new regiments, while in the field there were 
skeleton regiments enough to make, if filled up, a magni- 
ficent army. To the Governor of Ohio he wrote on this 
subject : 

"The President of the United States is now clothed 
with a power that should have been conferred just two 
years ago, and I feel assured he will use it. He will call 
for a large mass of men, and they should all be privates, 
and sent so as to make every regiment in the field equal 
to one thousand men. Time has convinced all reasonable 
men that war in theory and practice are two distinct 
things. Many an honest patriot, full of enthusiasm, zeal, 
and thirst for glory, has in practice, found himself un- 
equal to the actual requirements of war, and passed to one 
side, leaving another in his place ; and, now, after two 
years, Ohio has in the field one hundred and twenty-six 
regiments, whose officers now are qualified, and the men 
of which would give tone and character to the new recruits. 
To fill these regiments will require fifty thousand recuits, 
which are as many as the State could well raise. I there- 
fore hope and pray that you will use your influence against 
any more new regiments, and consolidation of old ones, 
but fill up all the old ones to a full standard. Those who 
talk of prompt and speedy peace know not what they say." 

In the same letter he referred to the attitude of the 
South and the probable future of the war. 

"The South to-day is more formidable and arrogant 
than she was two years ago, and we lose far more by hav- 
ing an insufficient number of men than from any other 
cause. We are forced to invade — we must keep the war 
South ; they are not only ruined, exhausted, but humbled 
in pride and spirit. Admitting that our armies to the 
front are equal to the occasien, which I know is not the 



2$2 THE OUTLOOK FOR THE WAR. 

case, our lines of communication are ever threatened by 
their dashes, for which the country, the population, and 
character of the enemy are all perfectly adapted. 

" Since the first hostile shot, the people of the North 
have had no option, they must conquer or be conquered. 
There can be no middle course. I have never been con- 
cerned about the copperhead squabblings ; the South 
spurns and despises this class worse than we do, and 
would only accept their overtures to substitute them in their 
levies, in the cotton and corn fields, for the slaves who 
have escaped. I do not pretend, nor have I ever pretended 
to foresee the end of all this, but I do know that we are 
yet far from the end of war. I repeat that it is no longer 
an open question ; we must fight it out. The moment we 
relax, down go all our conquests thus far. I know my 
views on this point have ever been regarded as extreme, 
even verging on insanity ; but for years I had associated 
with Bragg, Beauregard and extreme Southern men, and 
long before others could realize the fact that Americans 
would raise their hands against our consecrated govern- 
ment, I was forced to know it, to witness it. Two years 
will not have been spent in vain if the North now, by 
another magnificent upheaving of the real people, again 
fill the ranks of your proven and tried regiments, and 
assure them that, through good report and evil report, you 
will stand by them. If Ohio will do this, and if the great 
North will do this, then will our army feel that it has a 
country and a government worth dying for. As to the 
poltroons, who falter and cry quits, let them dig and raise 
the food the army needs — but they should never claim a 
voice in the councils of the nation." 

Another vigorous letter was called out by an order from 
the Adjutant General, under which all regiments which 





BATTLE' OF lookout:;mountain. 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 255 

had been depleted more than one-half were to be consoli- 
dated by reducing the number of their companies, and 
mustering out the supernumerary officers. This would 
have made many gallant regiments consist of only two or 
three hundred men each, and indeed such was the actual 
result in many cases. Against this order Sherman 
protested strongly and with effect. 

On one occasion a lady complained bitterly of some 
alleged misconduct of the soldiers, and this prompted him 
to write a long communication on the subject of army 
morals and discipline. 

" Mrs. Z ," he said, "has fallen into a common 

error in saying it was useless to complain of a whole regi- 
ment to Brigadier-General Smith or Major-General Sher- 
man. We naturally demanded more specific complaint 
against incendiary acts than a mere vague suspicion that 
the did all inquitous things, when twenty other regi- 
ments were camped round about Memphis, six thousand 
vagabonds and refugees hanging about, and the city itself 
infested by gangs of thieves and incendiaries, turned loose 
upon the world, and sheltered in their deeds of darkness 
by charging them upon soldiers. Neither General Morgan 
L. Smith or myself ever failed to notice a specific com- 
plaint against any soldier of our command, if accom- 
panied by reasonable proofs; but we did, and rightfully 
too, resent a mere general charge that every fire origin- 
ating from careless chimneys, careless arrangement of 
stove-pipes, and the designing acts of wicked incendiaries, 
should without even an attempt at proof, be charged to 

the . That regiment is one of the bravest and best 

disciplined in our service, and being composed mostly of 
young and energetic men from the city of , is some- 
what famous for its acts of fun, frolic, mischief, and even 
15 



256 CHECKING SPOLIATION. 

crime, with a perfect skill in evading detection and pur- 
suit. They are lawless and violent, and, like all other vol- 
unteer soldiers, have for years been taught that the 
people, the masses, the majority, are ' king,' and can do no 
wrong. They are no worse than other volunteers, all of 
whom come to us filled with the popular idea that they 
must enact war, that they must clean out the Secesh, must 
waste and not protect their property, must burn, waste and 
destroy. Just such people as Mrs, Z. have taught this 
creed, sung this song, and urged on our men to these dis- 
graceful acts ; and it is such as Morgan L. Smith and W. 
T. Sherman who have been combating this foul doctrine. 
During my administration of affairs in Memphis I know it 
was raised from a condition of death, gloom, and dark- 
ness, to one of life and comparative prosperity. Its streets, 
stores, hotels, and dwellings, were sad and deserted as I 
entered it, and when I left it, life and business prevailed, 
and over fourteen hundred enrolled Union men paraded its 
streets, boldly and openly carrying the banners of our 
country. No citizen, Union or Secesh, will deny that I acted 
lawfully, firmly and fairly, and that substantial justice pre- 
vailed, with even balance. I do feel their testimony bet- 
ter than the hearsay of any would-be notoriety." 

Sherman did not approve of wanton destruction of the 
enemy's property, although he was ruthless enough when 
the exigencies of war required it. He wrote thus to Gen- 
eral Steele : 

" I most heartily approve your purpose to return to 
families their carriages, buggies, and farming tools, where- 
with to make a crop. War at best is barbarism, but to 
involve all — children, women, old and helpless — is more 
than can be justified. Our men will become absolutely 
lawless unless this can be checked. The destruction of 



"CALIBRE FIFTY-FOURr 2S7 

corn or forage and provisions in the enemy's country is a 
well-established law of war, and is as justifiable as the 
destruction of private cotton by the Southern Confederacy. 
Jeff. Davis, no doubt, agrees that they have a right to 
destroy their people's cotton, but the guerrillas do not stop 
to inquire whose cotton they burn ; and I know, as you 
know, the Confederate Government claim the war-right to 
burn all cotton, \vhether belonging to their adherents or to 
Union men. We surely have a similar right as to corn, 
cotton, fodder, etc., used to sustain armies and war. Still, 
I always feel that the stores necessary for a family should 
be spared, and I think it injures our men to allow them to 
plunder indiscriminately the inhabitants of the country." 

An incident at Vicksburg, which has been immortalized 
in verse by Whittier, formed the topic of one of Sherman's 
official dispatches to Secretary Stanton, as follows : 

" I take the liberty of asking, through you, that some- 
thing be done for a young lad named Orion P. Howe, of 
Waukegan, Illinois, who belongs to the Fifty-fifth Illinois, 
but is at present at his home wounded. I think he is too 
young for West Point, but would be the very thing for a 
midshipman. When the assault at Vicksburg was at its 
height, on the 19th of May , and I was on foot near the 
road which formed the line of attack, this young lad came 
up to me wounded and bleeding, with a good healthy boy's 
cry: 'General Sherman, send some cartridges to Colonel 
Walmbourg, the men are all out.' ' What is the matter 
with my boy.-'' 'They shot me in thejeg, but I can go 
to the hospital ; send the cartridges right away.' Even 
where we stood, the shot fell thick, and I told him to go to 
the rear at once, I would attend to the cartridges, and off 
he limped. Just before he disappeared over the hill, he 
turned, and called , a« loud as he could, ' Calibre 54.' 



25 S A BRIGHT, INTELLIGENT BOY. 

"I have not seen the boy since, and his Colonel, Walm- 
bourg, on inquiry, gives me his address as above, and says 
he is a bright, intelligent boy, with a fine preliminary 
education. 

"What arrested my attention then, was — and what 
renews my memory of the fact now, is — that one so young, 
carrying a musket-ball wound through his leg, should have 
found his way to me on that fatal spot, and delivered his 
message, not forgetting the very important part, even, of 
the calibre of the musket, which you know is an unusual 
one. 

" I'll warrant that the boy has in him the elements of a 
man, and I commend him to the Government as one 
worthy the fostering care of some one of its national 
institutions." 



CHAPTER XIX. 

CHATTANOOGA. 

Dark Days in 1863 — A Sunburst of Victory — Sherman Leaves Viocs. 
BURG — Orders to his Troops — The March to Chattanooga — Thb 
Battle above the Clouds — Sherman's Attack on Missonary 
Ridge — The Victory Complete— Pursuit of the Enemy — A Forced 
March to Rescue Burnside — Sherman's Report — Views Concern- 
ing the Treatment of the Rebels. 

Seldom has history recorded a more sudden and start- 
ling change in National affairs than that of the United 
States in the mid-summer of 1863. The closing days of 
June were dark and ominous. Milroy was almost annihi- 
lated at Winchester. Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville 
were still wet with fruitless blood. Rosecrans was help- 
less in Tennessee. Banks was idle at Port Hudson. 
Grant had been checked at Vicksburg. Lee, on the other 
hand, was carrying fire and sword through Pennsylvania, 
while the Army of the Potomac, wandering no one knew 
where, seemed given up to experimenting with new leaders. 
This, at any rate, was the apparent situation, distressing to 
the faint-hearted patriot, and consoling the sympathizer 
with the South. 

And so the Fourth of July came around, a day that a 
month before bade fair to be a time of woe rather than of 
joy. An ex-President of the United States, Franklin 
259 



26o ' A Ce^MfNG STORM. 

Pierce, was the orator of the day at Concord, New Hamp- 
shire. " We have had," he said, "overwhelming sorrows, 
but none like these which come welling up day by day 
from the great fountain of National disaster ; nor have the 
sorrows brought with them any recompense of National 
pride or victorious arms." And he bitterly denounced the 
" fearful, fruitless fatal civil war," and the " harvest of woe," 
that it was ripening for the Republic. Other orators and 
statesmen, of even more commanding rank than he, spoke 
that same day in a similar strain. "Yet almost at that very 
hour, Lee was reeling in disaster back from " a stubborn 
Meade and a barren field " at Gettysburg, Johnston in 
Mississippi was in full flight before Sherman's conquering 
legions, and Grant was raising the Stars and Stripes above 
the conquered ramparts of Vicksburg, the " Gibraltar of 
the South." Truly, a grim and mighty transformation 
scene ! 

For a time now Sherman lay comparatively quiet on the 
Big Black River, while other armies in other regions 
pushed on the game of war. Baffled and routed in Penn- 
sylvania, the Rebels fell back toward Richmond, and then 
strengthened their forces for another rush upon the centre 
of the Union line, in Tennessee. There, Rosecrans had 
made a fair beginning. He had driven the foe from middle 
Tennessee, and out-flanked Bragg and forced him to aban- 
don Chattanooga to a position south of Lookout Mountain. 
In Eastern Tennessee, likewise, Burnside had been suc- 
cessful, wresting Knoxville and Cumberland Gap from the 
enemy. So, all along the line, from the Mississippi to the 
Potomac, the Rebels had been, when early autumn came, de- 
feated and forced back. They now determined upon another 
effort, viz., to assail the National forces in Tennessee with all 
possible energy, and " drive the Yankees across the Ohio." 



MARCHING TO CHATTANOOGA. , 261 

Reinforcements were accordingly sent %o Bragg, from 
all quarters. Lee sent him Longstreet's corps, or all that 
remained of it after that fearful charge at Gettysburg ; 
Johnston sent him Loring's Division, and detachments 
were brought in. To meet this coming storm the Union 
leaders made full preparation. Burnside moved down to- 
ward Loudon. The Army of the Potomac sent Hooker, 
with Howard's and Slocum's Corps, to Stevenson and 
Bridgport, Ala. ; and every man that could be spared by 
Hurlbut at Memphis and by Grant and Sherman at Vicks- 
burg, was sent toward Corinth and Tuscumbia, all to con- 
centrate at last at Cattanooga. 

That was in the middle of September. On the 23d of 
that month Grant called Sherman to Vicksburg and bade 
him hasten up to Memphis with his whole corps, save one 
division, which should remain under McPherson, to guard 
the Big Black. Low water caused slow transportation, 
and it was October 4th when all of Sherman's men reached 
Memphis. Then orders came from Halleck for them to 
join Rosecrans. Sherman set out, accordingly, for Corinth 
on October nth, and with his escort reached Co!liersville 
at noon in time to aid in defeating Chalmers. He hurried 
Frank P. Blair with two divisions on to luka, and followed 
in person with the remainder of the corps reaching luka 
on the 19th. Again he sent Blair forward, and the latter 
presently defeated S. D. Lee, and entered Tuscumbia on 
October 27th. 

Rosecrans had not been faring well. He had, in fact, 
been sorely stricken on the field of Chickamauga, and was 
now at Chattanooga, almost surrounded by triumphant and 
aggressive foes. The army was starving and the outlook 
was grave indeed. Secretary Stanton summoned Grant to 
Louisville, and there personally invested him with the 



262 SNERMAJ^'S ORDERS. 

command of the Division of the Mississippi and the three 
armies of the Ohio, the Cumberland and the Tennessee. 
Then he, relieving Rosecrans, made Thomas Commander 
of the Department of the Cumberland, and Sherman of 
the Tennessee. Sherman was at luka, on October 25th, 
when Grant sent him notice of his appointment, to succeed 
himself, with orders to remain in the field. Thereupon 
Sherman gave McPherson full command at Vicksburg, for 
all Mississippi, and Hurlbut at Memphis for Western 
Tennessee. Very soon he issued the following remarkable 
orders, which covered all the territory brought under his 
charge by his grand promotion : 

" All officers in command ot corps and fixed military 
posts will assume the highest military powers allowed by 
the laws of war and Congress. They must maintain the 
best possible discipline, and repress all disorder, alarms, 
and dangers in their reach. Citizens who fail to support 
the Government have no right to ask favors and protec- 
tion, but if they actively assist us in vindicating the 
national authority, all commanders will assist them and 
their families in every possible way. Officers need not 
meddle with matters of trade and commerce, which by law 
devolve on the officer of the Treasury Department ; but 
whenever they discover goods, contraband of war, being 
conveyed towards the public enemy, they will seize all 
goods tainted by such transactions, and imprison the 
parties implicated, but care must be taken to make full 
records and report such case. When a district is infested 
Dy guerrillas, or held by the enemy, horses and mules, 
wagons, forage, etc., and all means of war, can be 
freely taken, but must be accounted for as public property. 
If the people do not want their horses and corn taken, 
they must organize and repress all guerrillas or hostile 
oands in their neighborhood. 



NO TIME TO BUILD BRIDGES. 263 

"It is represented that officers, provost-marshals, and 
others in the military service, are engaged in business or 
speculation on their own account, and that they charge 
fees for permits and passes. All this is a breach of honor 
and law. Every salaried officer of the military service 
should devote every hour of his time, every thought of 
his mind, to his Government, and if he makes one cent 
profit beyond his pay, it is corrupt and criminal. All 
officers and soldiers in this department are here- 
by commanded to engage in no business whatever, 
save their sworn duty to their Government. 
In time of war and rebellion, districts occupied by 
our troops are subject to the laws of war. The inhab- 
itants, be they friendly or unfriendly, must submit to 
the controlling power. If any person in an insurgent 
district corresponds or trades with an enemy, he or she 
becomes a spy ; and all inhabitants, moreover, must not 
only abstain from hostile and unfriendly acts, but must 
aid and assist the power that protects them in trade and 
commerce." 

Sherman now marched eastward, with all the men that 
could be spared, to join in the impending struggle at 
Chattanooga. There was no time to build bridges, so 
rivers were forded or crossed in scows. On November 
15th he rode into Chattanooga, and soon thereafter all 
his troops were marshalled at that place, ready to deal 
with Bragg. Already Hooker's two corps had entered 
Lookout Valley, and the Army of the Cumberland was on 
the scene. Bragg had sent Longstreet to attack Burn- 
side in Eastern Tennessee, and Grant was anxious lest 
Burnside should be overmatched. So, to prevent Bragg 
from sending more troops thither, and even, if possible, to 
force him to recall Longstreet, Grant determined upon vx 



264 THE SITUA TION A T CHA TTANOOGA. 

immediate attack by Sherman upon Missionary Ridge ^id 
Lookout Mountain. 

The situation of the opposing forces, and the important 
issues at stake, were well described at the time by Mr. 
Brigham, in the New York Tribune : 

'* When General Bragg followed timidly the broken army 
of General Rosecrans on its retreat into Chattanooga, in- 
stead of pursuing that part which did not make its escape 
— (for not doing which he has been much blamed) — he 
halted the main body of his army on the morning of the 
23d of September, on Missionary Ridge, immediately in 
front of our works, but mainly circling round from the left 
to the centre of our line, his right resting on the river 
about three miles above Chattanooga. The railroad to 
Cleveland — about twenty miles — connecting there with 
the main line from Knoxville to Atlanta, and the road to 
Dalton, some forty miles, connecting there with the same 
line, entered Chattanooga through Missionary Ridge, so 
that their terminus came to be near Bragg's headquarters, 
in sight of our works on the left. It was on the first 
named road that Longstreet's corps departed lately for East 
Tennessee, and over them Bragg has received most of his 
supplies, and maintained his connection, not only with 
East Tennessee, but with Georgia. The road to Knoxville 
once cut, or the connection even rendered precarious, it 
was plain that the situation of affairs in East Tennessee, 
especially with the rebels, would all at once become 
materially changed. Should the main line connecting 
East Tennnssee and Georgia be broken, or seriously 
menaced, by driving the Rebels from Missionary Ridge, or 
by our gaining a foothold on the south side of the river on 
the flank of the Rebel position, the principal questions in 
the case would be, how would Longstreet get out of East 



THE PLAN OF CAMPAIGN/. 26$ 

Tennessee, and how far would Bragg be compelled to retreat? 

" To realize this, or any part of this state of- things, it 
would be necessary to cross the river above Chattanooga 
with a heavy force, and assail the Rebels in their flank. 
To drive them from Missionary Ridge would be to render 
the work complete. If, in addition to these, Lookout 
Mountain should fall into our hands, little or nothing 
further could be desired." 

The topography of the place was also described by Mr. 
Brigham : " Missionary Ridge is a line of hills, ranging 
from lOO to 400 feet in hight, sweeping round from Chat- 
tanooga Valley on our centre to our left, to less than one 
mile of the river above Chattanooga, and sloping west- 
wardly toward the town, thus confronting our line of de- 
fenses at the point where the Ridge approaches the river, 
it backs up toward the east on a general line with, and 
from one to two miles from the river, toward which the 
hills have another sloping but rather abrupt face. On 
the westward slope Bragg planted his works ; on the north 
or river slope he does not seem to have constructed per- 
manent works. To cross the river and assail the Rebels 
on their flank, while General Thomas opened upon them 
in front, was the plan." 

The movement was begun on the morning of November 
23d. Sherman's troops had been joyfully greeted by the 
Army of the Cumberland as " Grant's Gophers," in allusion 
to their sapping and mining achievements at Vicksburg. 
They had just completed a long and arduous march, but 
were in splendid condition, iron-framed veterans. And 
they had a task before them worthy of their prowess. On 
the night of the 23d, amid fog and rain, they silently 
crossed the Tennessee River, stealing up and capturing 
the Rebel pickets. The morning of the 24th dawned, cold 



266 GETTING UN" LINE, 

and rainy. The crash of musketry was heard at the centre 
of the Union line, where Howard and his men pressed 
close upon the foe. Next Jeff. C. Davis's fine troops 
crossed over and joined Sherman, and with pick 
and spade the lines of rifie pits were rapidly advanced. 
At noon the artillery was taken across, a pontoon bridge 
having been constructed. Howard gallantly drove Bragg's 
right flank skirmishers before him, and forced a junction 
with Sherman. 

Now off on the other flank of Bragg came the " Battle 
above the Clouds" along the grim slopes of Lookout 
Mountain. On the afternoon of the 24th, Hooker moved 
Geary's command by an extensive detour to the crest of 
Lookout Mountain ridges, and Osterhaus's men were 
kept waiting in Lookout Valley until Geary was seen 
marching along the ridge toward the enemy's works, 
when the signal was given and Osterhaus was ordered to 
charge up the precipitous height. " The audacity of this 
attack," said a correspondent, " was its chief merit, and 
insured its success. No one can appreciate the thing 
without an intimate acquaintance with the topography of the 
country thereabout, and that it is useless forme to attempt 
to indicate with words merely. To any casual observer 
it would have seemed madness. Our men could and 
would have defended the position successfully with hand 
grenades and loose rocks alone. The Rebels, however, 
seemed filled with dismay when they saw their foes climb- 
ing up the rocks as nimbly as if they had been so many 
mountain goats, and they did not make half of the 
resistance they might. Then, too, the disaffection among 
their conscripts, of which we have heard and read so much 
manifested itself most palpably. They in some cases 
threw away their arms by platoons and jumping ov^r 



L O OKO UT MO UNTAJN, 267 

their breastworks, rushed down the mountain side ex- 
claiming, ' Don't shoot, we are your friends ! ' These 
men seemed transported with joy on reaching our Unes, 
and not a few of them declared a willingness to take places 
in the ranks of our men to fight those who had subjected 
them to tyranny unexampled. Those who did use their 
weapons against the advancing columns, proved them- 
selves ver)' poor marksmen. Nearly every shot went 
whistling down the mountain over the heads of the men. 
And thus the chief obstacle to Osterhaus's progress was 
from steep and hostile rocks. By dark the whole moun- 
tain was in Hooker's hands, save a small plat of ground 
on the summit, and that was virtually in his possession, 
as he only needed a little more daylight to complete his 
victory. The next morning all the Rebels who were not 
prisoners had vanished like the air, and our men could 
quietly enjoy the view of the territory of four States to be 
had from this great eminence. Our prisoners here will 
number at least 2,000, and the capture of arms was more 
than proportionate, '"he works on the mountain are not 
very artistic, nor are they extensive, but they were suffi- 
cient for any purpose the Rebels seem to have had in 
holding the position. 

"The climbing of Lookout, if it were only by a pleasure 
party, would necessarily be attended by amusing and stir- 
ring incidents; and though Osterhaus's men believed they 
were engaged in a hazardous and apparently foolhardy 
movement, they joked and laughed at one another all the 
way up. Every fall was the signal for a shout of ' grab a 
root,' in allusion to a camp story about a certain colonel 
who issued that novel command to his regiment just as he 
lost his footing while making a rather inglorious retreat 
down a hill, on an occasion not now to be mentioned. One 



268 ASoyE THE CLoms. 

man, a Serjeant-Major in one of the Missouri regiments, 
did 'grab a root' to swing himself round a sharp and 
protecting ledge of rocks in the way of his ascent. The 
root, however, proved rotten, or was not deeply imbedded 
in the ground, and broke just at the critical moment. The 
sergeant executed an involuntary somersault or two, and 
alighted on his feet unhurt. His regiment witnessed the 
acrobatic feat extraordinary, and set up such a shout of 
applause and laughter as, I have no doubt, made the but- 
ternuts quake in their boots. 

" The Twenty-ninth and Thirty-second Missouri Regi- 
ments have the honor of being first to plant foot on the 
summit. They were closely followed, however, by the 
whole of General Osterhaus's Command, and General 
Geary's Division shares with this the honors of an achieve- 
ment which was beyond the hopes of one party or the 
fears of the other. So far as I could learn, there was not 
a single regiment or even a single individual that shrank 
for a moment from the appalling looking service. An 
incident will serve to illustrate the common feeling. 
When the order to charge up the mountain in the face of 
the Rebel works was received, Colonel Peckham of the 
Twenty-ninth Missouri, an officer who was himself 
wounded and who lost over sixty per cent, of his regiment 
in the memorable charge upon the enemy's works in the 
Chickasaw Bayou fight, in December last, and who was 
again wounded on the 19th of May following, in the abor- 
tive charge made by his division (Blair's) upon the enemy's 
works in the rear of Vicksburg, was fully impressed with 
the idea that he was now in the way of another such 
slaughter. He turned to one of his men in whose fate he 
felt a deep personal interest, and pulling from his pocket 
a watch presented him by another regiment in which he 



SHERMAN'S POSITION. 269 

had at one time served, told the man to fall back to the 
camp and take this watch and a message to his wife in 
case he should be killed. The brave fellow demurred to 
the order, saying he preferred staying with the regiment. 
'I tell you,' said the Colonel, 'your going with the regi- 
ment will be but a useless sacrifice of one more life.' * I 
will not leave the regiment,' was the reply, 'unless you 
make the order a peremptory one, and I beg you not to 
disgrace me in that way.' The Colonel yielded the point. 
His fears for the man proved groundless, but when I met 
him the next day, he could not shake hands with me. He had 
a severe wound in the right shoulder, received making his 
way on foot up the mountain at the head of his command." 

That night old Lookout was ablaze with the camp fires 
of the Union army. But while Hooker was warring amid the 
clouds, his fellow-generals were busy elsewhere. " Sherman," 
writes the correspondent, "has, on the end of Mission 
Ridge, got his forces in position. His Hne of battle is very 
extended. It is grand as well as formidable. Advancing 
a heavy line of skirmishers, he moves over the low ground 
to the base of the ridge, where the Rebels but a very short 
time before were massed in force. They withdrew, offer- 
ing but comparatively slight resistance when Sherman 
commenced moving. Indeed the firing was mainly by the 
skirmishers. Rising the crest of the ridge, Sherman 
takes possession of the termini of the two railroads of so 
much importance to Bragg — that running to Knoxville 
(over which Longstreet departed to East Tennessee), and 
that running to Atlanta, over which Bragg receives his 
supplies. It being near dark, Sherman halts on the 
ground he has won. 

"While these important operations are going on, Gen- 
eral Waod's Division, Granger's Corps, advances on the 



270 THE ENEMY FALLS BACK. 

centre of our left, to within 1,500 yards of the Rebel 
works, near the crest of Missionary Ridge, plants Bride's 
Battery on Orchard Knob, and opens an enfilading fire 
on the enemy, then annoying Howard's Corps." 

During the night the Rebels massed themselves in great 
force against Sherman, but before daylight of the 25th that 
intrepid commander was in the saddle, marshalling his 
troops to the completion of the work so well begun. The 
day dawned clear and frosty, and the whole vast panorama 
of war, yesterday veiled in mist, lay open to the eye. 
The enemy fell back before Sherman, to the tunnel, 
but there made a desperate stand, looking and hoping in 
vain for Longstreet's return to their relief. Large por- 
tions of Bragg's army were there. He had been reinforced 
by Buckner. Sherman (with Bushbeck's Brigade from the 
Eleventh Corps added) made two attacks with only a por- 
tion of his army, and was both times repulsed. Still, he 
sent Grant word that he would do his work without assist- 
ance. Afternoon came, Grant watching Sherman with an 
anxious eye, waiting to give Thomas the command to scale 
the mountain side. " I saw him," said an eye witness, 
"frequently carry his eye along the ridge where the main 
Rebel line was drawn out, and survey the steep side up 
which the assault would be made. How many thousands 
of others of the army that rested and waited for the com- 
mand, contemplated the ascent and estimated the chances! 
Taking it for granted that Bragg was prepared for the 
assault, the records of desperate undertakings do not af- 
ford many equalling this." 

" The hill which was being attacked by Sherman," said 
a Cincinnati Gazette writer, "is the highest peak of 
Mission Ridge, and though not so rough and ragged as 
Lookout Mountain, is nevertheless very difficult of ascent. 



MISSIONARY RIDGE. 273 

The hill or hills taken by General Sherman on Tuesday 
did not command this (Tunnel) hill, but from Sherman's 
position a fine view could be had of the Rebel position, 
half a mile distant. 

" The fort built by the Rebels was plainly visible, the 
guns peering over the ramparts with vicious looks. The 
hill upon which General Sherman was posted formed a 
semi-circle, and lapping around as if to inclose the Tunnel 
Hill. When on Sherman's right, you were west of Tunnel 
Hill. When you were on Sherman's left, you were east of 
the hill. The centre was so thrown out and retired that, 
like the wings, it remained a respectful distance from the 
enemy, who formed the centre, while Sherman formed the 
arc of the circle. It will be readily understood from this 
that, making separate attacks from his right and left. Gen- 
eral Sherman approached the Rebel position on different 
sides of the hill. So far separated were the two columns 
that the hill prevented them from seeing each other's 
movements. They were hence unable to act in concert — 
a fact which may have had something to do with the re- 
sult of the attacks. 

" The first attack was made by the brigades of General 
John W. Corse and Colonel Jones, Fourth Virginia, from 
the left of the line. The movement began at 1 1 o'clock 
i the morning and the assault lasted only ten minutes. 
No sooner had our men appeared above the top of the hill 
than they were received with a tremendous volley of 
musketry. But nevertheless they advanced rapidly, charg- 
ing a rifle-pit of the enemy, and after a hand to hand con- 
flict retired in some disorder, leaving their dead and 
wounded inside the enemy's outer work. But it must not 
be supposed that our men fled to the foot of the hill. No 

sooner had they reached the protecting slope of the hill 
16 



274 THE CRUCIAL HOUR. 

which hid them from the view of the enemy than they re- 
forn>ed in good style and laid down under the brow of the 
hill to await an attack in return. But the enemy did not 
dare to attack, but contented himself with the repulse he 
had succeeded in at quite heavy cost to both parties. The 
two brigades remained quiet for some time. At 11.30 
o'clock General Giles Smith with his brigade, among 
which is the Fifty-seventh Ohio Infantry, went to the 
assistance of General Corse, and after a short delay, the 
whole proceeded to make a second attack. 

"This attack did not differ from the first in movement or 
result, but it was more desperate and was persisted in 
much longer, the final retirement of our men not taking 
place until half past twelve, an hour having thus been 
consumed in the assault. There have been few more des- 
perate encounters in the war than was this engagement of 
an hour, and it speaks volumes in praise of the men en- 
gaged that at its end, though much broken, they rallied at 
the slope of the hill and held the position gained." 

Then Sherman brought up all available troops and pre- 
pared for a third and decisive attack ; and the enemy did 
likewise to meet him. This attack was not in itself suc- 
cessful. But it turned the fortunes of the day. It gave 
Grant the opportunity for which he had been watch- 
ing through all those anxious hours. Standing on 
Orchard Knob, he saw the Rebels massing against Sher- 
man, and then, precisely at three o'clock, he signalled to 
his two storming columns to make the grand assault upon 
the works at the base of Missionary Ridge. Says the 
Tribune correspondent from the field : 

*' Hardly had the roar of the signal guns ceased, when 
the cracking of musketry commenced and vibrated up and 
down the line, which extended in an unbroken chain qiMte 



STORMING THE HEIGHTS. 275 

two miles. The artillery stationed along the crest of 
Missionary Ridge opened vigorously, raining down on our 
men a perfect shower of shot and shell. To their fire our 
artillery replied no less vigorously, and the attacking 
column moved forward to the music of more than a hun- 
dred guns. 

" The distance between the rifle-pits and our skirmishers 
was probably not to exceed three hundred yards. In less 
then ten minutes the Rebels began to leave and climb the 
abrupt slope of the hill, in desperate eagerness to take 
shelter in the main line — Hardee's Corps — on the top. 
Cheer on cheer now go up from the attacking columns 
and a galling fire is poured into the fleeing Rebels. But 
not to escape, for so sudden was the advance that many 
prisoners were taken in the pits. Notwithstanding the 
order was to halt at the rifle pits, at the foot of the 
Ridge, in the eagerness of the pursuit it seemed to be for- 
gotton, and the chase is kept up with eagerness. Seeing 
this, General Grant, contrary to his original intention, 
directs the supporting column at once to advance, and 
along the entire line black masses in regular columns move 
forward to the grand assault. In the^centre, where Wood's 
Division is advancing, some of his men are already half 
way up the rugged steep. The elevation is almost three 
hundred feet. Glancing up and down the Ridge's slope 
you see a score of battle flags, some further advanced than 
others ; one or two so far ahead of the supports, save a 
few impetuous spirits who seem determined to scale the 
height first, that the attempt seems mere hardihood. From 
the crest of the Ridge the Rebel artillery now belch forth 
more furiously than ever, and rain the iron hail on the 
masses below. And yet there is no wavering or sign of 
it. Cheer on cheer roll in waves up and down the advanc- 



2^6 THE HOUR OF TRIUMPH. 

ing line. The right, the centre, the left now go forward 
in order, to the support of those who seem to have pushed 
too daringly to the assault, in the determination to be first 
to make the ascent where the foe was in force. 

" The battle-flags are now seen everywhere, and those 
that have been carried with so much daring almost to the 
crest now receive salvos of cheers. In the centre, the 
Sixth Ohio Regiment, Hazen's Brigade, Wood's Division, 
has from the first been ahead, the object of special interest, 
and those who have watched their progress, while they 
have admired their bravery, have almost regretted their 
impetuosity ; for it can scarcely be otherwise than that 
they will be hurled back by an overwhelming opposing 
force the moment they reach the top. To the right of this 
regiment is the Eighth Kansas, sharp competitors in the 
race, whose colors have been carried so defiantly ahead. 
Volleys of musketry are poured down upon the column of 
attack, which makes no reply but keeps right on. The pro- 
gress is slow, for the ascent is steep. Away off to the left 
where the intrepid Howard has during the afternoon 
had sharp work, his troops move forward in perfect 
order, shoulder to shoulder with the supports of Baird. 
Howard's Corps passed over to Sherman's left — ex- 
cept one brigade near the Tunnel. In the centre. Granger's 
impetuosity and Wood's zeal have been communicated 
to the men. On the right, Palmer is moving on steady, 
the dashing Sheridan, with coat off and hat in hand, lead- 
ing the way. 

" Scarcely have we time to take this rapid survey of the 
columns moving to the grand assault when cheer on cheer 
comes rolling down to us from the summit of the Ridge. 
The gallant Ohioans have made the ascent. The Rebels 
flee before them, and they rest on the heights they have 



THE VICTORY COMPLETE. 27/ 

gained so quickly. But the intrepid Major Irwin has 
fallen. Now, from the right to the left of the whole line 
cheer on cheer announce that other regiments have gained 
the summit, and that the Rebels flee. In the next half 
hour the crest of the Ridge from right to left is swarming 
with our men. And now gallop we to the height that has 
been gained. 

"So precipitately had the Rebels fallen back ih2Xfrom 
forty to fifty pieces of artilleiy and from three to five thou- 
sand prisoners fell mto our hands. The guns were imme- 
diately turned on the foe, for, taking up positions for which 
the ground was favorable, the Rebels opened a vigorous 
fire of musketry. General Grant was among the first to 
reach the summit after it had been carried. By his direc- 
tion our men were formed and placed so as to resist any 
attempt that might be made to regain their ground. It 
was not long before almost the entire force of General 
Thomas was on the Ridge. From it they could not be 
dislodged. Hooker had been thundering on the Rebel 
flank coming up from the direction of Rossville. He 
comes in good time, makes captures of men and guns, and 
forms a junction with the main column. 

"Thus the Ridge, the portion which might have been 
made impregnable, and so important to Bragg, has been 
carried with so little serious fighting, with loss so insig- 
nificent, and in every respect so easily, that it is difficult 
to comprehend the plan of the enemy. I suspect that 
Bragg could not help it ; that undertaking to defend him- 
self against Sherman, he lost all in another direction. In 
fact he was circumvented, out-generaled. He was not 
equal to the strategy with which he had to contend. The 
assault of Missionary Ridge was an undertaking before 
which aaother army would have quailed. To give the 



2/8 RESULTS OF THE BATTLE. 

order required no common nerve, and it shows the manner 
of man of General Grant. He had no right to expect the 
enemy would flee, unless, indeed, he penetrated so far as 
to discover, which doutless was the fact, that the im- 
petuosity of our men, their almost foolhardy daring, con- 
founded the enemy and struck him with awe. The assault 
of Lookout Mountain and of Missionary Ridge will stand 
out in the annals of this war as unequalled performances." 

Of the practical results of this victory. Quartermaster 
General Meigs said in his report, dated the day after the 
battle, to the Secretary of War : 

"Bragg's remaining troops left early in the night, and 
the battle of Chattanooga, after days of manoeuvring and 
fighting, was won. The strength of the rebellion in the 
centre is broken. Burnside is relieved from danger in 
East Tennessee. Kentucky and Tennessee are rescued. 
Georgia and the South-East are threatened in the rear, 
and another victory is added to the chapter of * Uncondi- 
tional Surrender Grant.' Bragg is firing the railroad as 
he retreats toward Dalton. Sherman is in hot pursuit. 

" To-day I viewed the battle-field, which extends for six 
miles along Mission Ridge and for several miles on Look- 
out Mountain. Probably not so well directed, so well 
ordered a battle has been delivered during the war. But 
one assault was repulsed, but that assault by calling to 
that point the Rebel reserves, prevented them repulsing 
any of the others 

" A few days since, Bragg sent to General Grant a flag 
of truce, advising him that it would be prudent to remove 
any non-combatants who might be still in Chattanooga. 
No reply has been returned, but the combatants having 
removed from this vicinity it is probable that non-com- 
batants can remain without imprudence." 



RETREA7 AMD PURSUIT. 279 

Bragg was now retreating, and Sherman adding other 
troops to his own was in pursuit. Jeff. C. Davis had hur- 
ried across the Chickamauga by the Pontoon Bridge, to the 
depot. Howard had reported to Sherman, and was ordered 
to repair another bridge over the Chickamauga and then 
to go on and join Davis. It was impossible to repair the 
bridges, however, so the crossings had to be made by pon- 
toons. Davis reached the depot only to find it in flames, 
with the enemy intrenched just beyond. The Rebels 
were quickly put to flight and many valuable stores 
rescued. 

Sherman, with Davis and Howard, pressed on till 
nightfall, engaging the rear guard of the Rebels just 
at dark. Next day he reached Greysville, where he was 
joined by Palmer's Corps, and where he could hear 
Hooker's guns at Ringgold. Then he turned eastward, to 
keep Longstreet from rejoining Bragg, leaving the pursuit 
of Bragg to Hooker. Howard was sent to Parker's Gap, 
to destroy the Dalton and Cleveland Railroad, a task that 
was promptly and thoroughly performed. Word now came 
from Hooker that he wanted Sherman to hurry forward 
and turn the enemy's position in the mountain passes 
near Ringgold. This was at this very moment being done 
by Howard, and when Sherman reached Ringgold he 
found that the Rebels had abandoned the Chickamauga 
Valley and the State of Tennessee. Howard by Sherman's 
request was now sent on to Cleveland, East Tennessee ; 
and on the 30th to Charleston, where he put the enemy 
to flight and captured valuable stores. Thus ended the 
first part of this memorable campaign, with losses to 
Sherman's own corps of 258 killed, 1,257 wounded and 
211 missing, and with incalculable benefits to the Union 
cause. 



28o RELIEF OF KNOXVILLE. 

The pursuit of Bragg would have been continued, but 
Grant saw that Burnside needed succor at Knoxville, 
where he was besieged by Longstreet. Sherman and 
Howard were accordingly sent thither with all speed. 
Their troops were wearied with much fighting and long 
marches. Food was scanty. They had no blankets. 
And the weather was bitterly cold. But without a mur- 
mur from officers or men they faced for Knoxville, eighty- 
three miles away, with as blithe a step as though on a 
holiday parade. Howard and Sherman were abreast. At 
Loudon they struck the enemy, who fled before them, 
burning the bridge and forcing them Jto turn east and 
trust to crossing the Little Tennessee by constructing, 
in a night, temporary bridges. It was now December 2d, 
and they knew Burnside's supplies would only last another 
day. So Sherman told Colonel Long to take his pick of 
cavalrymen and dash on to Knoxville regardless of the 
cost in life and limb. Knoxville was yet forty miles away, 
and the roads were as bad as bad could be. The whole 
army pressed on, however, with desperate zeal. When 
past the Little Tennessee, a courier came from Burnside 
with the welcome news that Long and his troopers had 
arrived, and that all was well at Knoxville. That night 
another courier brought them word that Longstreet was 
retreating toward Virginia, with the Union cavalry in full 
pursuit ! He had attacked Burnside, had been repulsed 
with great slaughter, and had abandoned the siege at 
Sherman's near approach. 

Sherman and Howard, after a brief visit to Knoxville, 
then marched their troops to Chattanooga, to prepare for 
a yet greater work. Sherman made a long report 
on this campaign. A few extracts are of interest 
here; 



REVIEWING THE CAMPAIGN. 28 1 

" In reviewing the facts, I must do justice to my com- 
mand for the patience, cheerfulness, and courage which 
officers and men have displayed throughout, in battle, on 
the march, and in camp. For long periods, without regu- 
lar rations or supplies of any kind, they have marched 
through and over rocks, sometimes barefooted, without a 
murmur, without a moment's rest. After a march of over 
400 miles, without stop for three successive nights, we 
crossed the Tennessee, fought our part of the battle of 
Chattanooga, pursued the enemy out of Tennessee, and 
then turned more than 100 miles north, and compelled 
Longstreet to raise the siege of Knoxville, which gave so 
much anxiety to the whole country, 

"It is hard to realize the importance of these events 
without recalling the memory of the general feeling which 
pervaded all minds at Chattanooga prior to our arrival. I 
cannot speak of the Fifteenth Army Corps without a 
seeming vanity, but as I am no longer its commander, I 
assert that there is no better body of soldiers in America 
than it, or who have done more or better service. I wish 
all to feel a just pride in its real honors. To General 
Howard and his command, to General Jefferson C. Davis 
and his, I am more than usually indebted for the intel- 
ligence of commanders and fidelity of command. The 
brigade of Colonel Bushbeck, belonging to the Eleventh 
Corps, which was the first to come out of Chattanooga 
to my flank, fought at the Tunnel Hill in connection 
with General Ewing's Division, and displayed a courage 
almost amounting to rashness, following the enemy al- 
most to the tunnel gorge, it lost many valuable lives, 
prominent among them Lieutenant-Colonel Taft, spoken 
of as a most gallant soldier. In General Howard 
throughout I found a polished and Christian gentleman. 



282 CREDIT TO WHOM IT BELONGS. 

exhibiting the highest and most chivalrous traits of the 
soldier. 

" General Davis handled his division with artistic skill, 
more especially at the moment we encountered the enemy's 
rear guard near Graysville, at nightfall. I must award 
to this division the credit of the best order during our 
marches through East Tennessee, when long marches 
and the necessity of foraging to the right and left gave 
some reasons for disordered ranks. 

"I must say that it is but justice that colonels of 
regiments who have so long and so well commanded 
brigades, as in the following cases, should be com- 
missioned to the grade which they have filled with so much 
usefulness and credit to the public service, namely, Col- 
onels J. R. Cockerell, Seventieth Ohio Volunteers ; J. M. 
Loomis, Twenty-sixth Illinois ; C. E. Wolcott, Forty-sixth 
Ohio; J. A. Williamson, Fourth, Iowa; G. B. Raum, Fif- 
ty-sixth Illinois ; J. J. Alexander, Fifty-ninth Indiana." 

Early in January Sherman returned to Memphis, to at- 
tend to the administration of affairs in that region. Both 
civil and military matters were presented to him for dis- 
posal. His attitude toward the South was here expressed by 
him in a letter to one of his subordinate officers, as fol- 
lows: 

" The Southern people entered into a clear compact of 
government, but still maintained a species of separate in- 
terests, history, and prejudices. These latter became 
stronger and stronger, till they have led to a war which 
has developed fruits of the bitterest kind. 

" We of the North are, beyond all question, right in our 
lawful cause, but we are not bound to ignore the fact that the 
people of the South have prejudices, which form a part of 
their nature, and which they cannot throw off without an 



THE ENEMY'S PROPERTY. 283 

effort of reason or the slower process of natural change. 
Now, the question arises, should we treat as absolute 
enemies all in the South who differ from us in opinion or 
prejudice, — kill or banish them ? Or should we give them 
time to think and gradually change their conduct, so as to 
conform to the new order of things which is slowly and 
gradually creeping into their country ? 

" When men take arms to resist our rightful authority, 
we are compelled to use force, because all reason and 
argument cease when arms are resorted to. When the 
provisions, forage, horses, mules, wagons, etc., are used by 
our enemy, it is clearly our duty and right to take them, be- 
cause otherwise they might be used against us. 

" In like manner, all houses left vacant by an mimical 
people, are clearly our right, or such as are needed as store- 
houses, hospitals, and quarters. But a question arises as 
to dwellings used by women, children, and non-combatants, 
So long as non-combatants remain in their houses and 
keep to their accustomed business, their opinions and pre- 
judices can in no wise influence the war, and, therefore, 
should not be noticed. But if any one comes out into the 
public streets and creates disorder, he or she should be 
punished, restrained, or banished, either to the rear or front, 
as the officer in command adjudges. If the people, or any 
of them, keep up a correspondence with parties in hostil- 
ity, they are spies, and can be punished with death, or 
minor punishment. 

"These are well established principles of war, and the 
people of the South, having appealed to war, are barred 
from appealing to our Constitution, which they have practi- 
cally and publicly defied. They have appealed to war, and 
must abide its rules and laws. 



284 NATIONAL AUTHORITY 

" The United States, as a belligerent party claiming 
right in the soil as the ultimate sovereign, have a right to 
change the population ; and it may be, as is, both politic 
and just, we should do so in certain districts. When the 
inhabitants persist too long in hostility, it may be both 
politic and right we should banish them and appropriate 
their lands to a more loyal and useful population. No 
man will deny that the United States would be benefitted 
by dispossessing a single prejudiced, hard-headed, and dis- 
loyal planter, and substituting in his place a dozen or more 
patient, industrious, good families, even if they be of 
foreign birth. I think it does good to present this view 
of the case to many Southern gentlemen, who grew rich 
and wealthy, not by virtue alone of their industry and skill, 
but by reason of the protection and impetus to prosperity 
given by our hitherto moderate and magnanimous Govern- 
ment. It is all idle nonsense for these Southern planters 
to say that they made the South, that they own it, and that 
they can do as they please, — even to break up our Govern- 
ment and to shut up the natural avenues of trade, inter- 
course, and commerce . . . Whilst I assert for our 
Government the highest military prerogatives, I am 
willing to bear in patience that political nonsense of 
slave-rights, State-rights, freedom of conscience, freedom 
of press, and such other trash, as have deluded the Southern 
people into war, anarchy, bloodshed, and the foulest crimes 
that have disgraced any time or any people. 

" I would advise the commanding officers at Huntsville, 
and such other towns as are occupied by our troops, to 
assemble the inhabitants and explain to them these plain, 
self-evident propositions, and tell them that it is for them 
now to say whether they and their children shall inherit 
the beautiful land which by the accident of nature 



ADVICE TO THE SOUTH. 285 

has fallen to their share. The Government of the United 
States has in North Alabama any and all rights which 
they choose to enforce in war — to take their lives, their 
homes, their lands, their everything ; because they cannot 
deny that war does exist there ; and war is simply power, 
unrestrained by Constitution or compact. If they want 
eternal war, well and good ; we will accept the issue and 
and dispossess them and put our friends in possession. I 
know of thousands and millions of good people who, at 
simple notice, would come to North Alabama and accept 
the elegant houses and plantations now there. If the 
people of Huntsville think differently, let them persist in 
war three years longer, and then they will not be consulted. 
Three years ago, by a little reflection and patience, they 
could have had a hundred years of peace and prosperity, 
but they preferred war. Very well. Last year they could 
have saved their slaves, but now it is too late : all the 
powers of earth cannot restore to them their slaves, any 
more than their dead grandfathers. Next year their 
lands will be taken — for in war we can take them, and 
rightfully, too, — and in another year they may beg in vain 
for their lives. A people who will presevere in war be- 
yond a certain limit ought to know the consequences. 
Many, many people, with less pertinacity than the South, 
have been wiped out of national existence." 



CHAPTER XX. 

MERIDIAN. 

FuEEiNo rat: Mississippi — A March of Destruction— Retreat of the 
Enemy — Polk's Flight from Meridian — Failure of Smith's Expedi- 
tion — Destroying Rebel Property — Confiscating a Chicken — 
Results of the Raid — Scenes among the Liberated Negroes — the 
Red River Expedition. 

The Mississippi had been freed from Rebel control by 
the capture of Vicksburg. To keep it free was the task 
that now devolved upon Sherman, and to the execution of 
which he addressed himself with characteristic energy. 
His plan was to place a number of detachments of his 
army at various points in the State of Mississippi, to ob- 
serve the movements of the enemy and operate against 
him, and then to send a powerful force through the heart 
of the State, destroying roads and military supplies — a 
raid of destruction. This campaign he planned during 
January, 1864. The objective point of the raid was Merid- 
ian, Mississippi. It was then the headquarters of General 
Polk, the Rebel commander in that State, and garrisoned 
by French's Division of the army. Of the Rebel leaders, 
Loring was at Canton, Forrest with his cavalry was in the 
northern counties, and several others were in the neigh- 
borhood of the Mississippi. 
286 



MARCHING THROUGH MISSISSIPPI. 287 

Sherman put his cavalry under General William Sooy 
Smith, and directed him to leave Memphis on February ist 
for Meridian, by the way of Pontotoc, Okolona and Colum- 
bus. The distance was two hundred and fifty miles, and 
Smith was to reach his goal on February loth. He was 
to strike boldly at any large force that might menace him, 
to disregard all petty bands of the en«my, and, above all, 
to arrive at Meridian at the exact date named. Two minor 
expeditions were at the same time sent out, up the Yazoo 
and to the Big Black, to keep the enemy quiet there. 

Then, on February 3d, Sherman himself set out from 
Vicksburg, with Hurlbut, McPherson, and E. F. Winslow, 
having four divisions and a brigade, marching in two col- 
umns. There were in all about 25,(X)0 men. Sherman 
himself was with Hurlbut's column. After crossing the 
Big Black River they headed for Bolton, fifteen miles away. 
There they had a skirmish with the enemy, resulting in the 
killing of twelve men and the wounding of thirty-five. 
The Rebel loss was much larger, a number of their dead 
being left on the field. McPherson's infantry forces 
marched up rapidly, and dispersed Lee's cavalry, estimated 
at 6,000 men, without any serious encounter. With his 
usual energy McPherson continued to press them closely, 
and so hotly were the retreating Rebels pursued that four 
miles east of Bolton, Winslow succeeded in flanking them 
with a force of 1,400 cavalry. The capture of the whole 
force seemed inevitable at this juncture, but the main body 
escaped, and only a few prisoners were taken. 

Without much opposition the entire army marched 
rapidly toward Jackson, Lee's cavalry fleeing in the greatest 
disorder in the direction of Canton, a flourishing little town 
twenty miles north of Jackson. Here Winslow's cavalry 
closed in upon the Rebel columns, capturing a large num- 



28§ DESTROYING PROPERTY. 

ber of prisoners and one piece of artillery, a ten-pounder 
Parrott gun, together with a caisson stocked with ammu- 
nition, which was subsequently used with good effect upon 
the enemy's lines. Jackson was reached on the evening 
of February 5th, and McPherson at once ordered the 
Tenth Missouri Cavalry Regiment to secure the Rebel 
pontoon bridge across Pearl River. General French, the 
Rebel officer, had crossed this bridge but a few moments 
in advance, and a large gang of Rebels were busily engaged 
in destroying it, when the sudden appearance of the Mis- 
sourians caused them to retreat. The bridge was saved, 
and the next day the troops found it convenient for cross- 
ing Pearl River. Sherman ordered the advance to pro- 
ceed to Brandon, some twelve miles distant, meeting with 
but slight resistance on their march. 

At Jackson, some twenty buildings were destroyed by 
the slaves in retaliation for the cruelties perpetrated upon 
them by their masters. At Brandon, similar scenes were 
witnessed, and the outraged bondmen and bondwomen re- 
venged the brutality of those they once were compelled 
to call masters. 

"Our cavalry," wrote a correspondent who accompanied 
the expedition, " arrived at Brandon on the afternoon of 
Februray 7th, skirmishing all the way with a Rebel scout- 
ing party, who fired annoying volleys at the advance guard 
and then ran. Nearly all the citizens had left the place 
with the retreating Confederate army. It was found that 
the enemy had succeeded in removing nearly everything 
with him. The work of destruction was, however, most 
thoroughly done, and the houses of prominent Rebels (of 
whom there was once a large number, though they have 
now sought safety further east), were burned. Up to this 
point every horse or mule that could be found had been 




H 

PS 
< 

Q 



LOOKING FOR BATTLE. 291 

gathered in, and they had become so numerous that a 
special detail had to be made to take care of them. Of 
hogs and beef-cattle there were but few, but such as were 
found were taken possession of. In fact, everything of an 
edible nature was levied upon and made an item in our 
commissariat. Hundreds of blacks, who had been left to 
care for themselves by their masters, came into our lines, 
begging for something to eat, and asking Government pro- 
tection. The railroad track had been torn up all the way 
out, and every bridge and depot burned. We camped on 
the night of the 7th two miles east of Brandon. 

"The enemy's rear guard continued to hover over our 
advance during the whole of the following day, and until 
we arrived within eight miles of Morton. This was the 
next place of importance after leaving Brandon, from which 
it is about twenty miles distant. It was understood that a 
large quantity of Confederate stores had been accumulated 
at this point, and that here Polk would certainly give bat- 
tle. The march was resumed early on the morning of the 
9th, and by nine o'clock we were in town. Finding no 
enemy, the advance was continued, with light skirmishing, 
and progressed unchecked through the day. The i6th 
Corps was now in advance. We went into camp for the 
night a few miles west of Hillsboro. Kere, again, it was 
thought the enemy would fight us, and preparations were 
accordingly made. On the morning of the loth we en- 
tered Hillsboro without opposition, the enemy having 
retreated further east toward Meridian. During this and 
the following day, our advance was not disturbed by a 
single shot, but on the 15th we again came up with the 
Rebels at Decatur. They were in force, and having de- 
stroyed the bridge across Chunky Creek, were prepared to 
oppose our crossing. 



292 THE REBELS ON THE RUN. 

" Some heavy skirmishing was had here, and the enemy 
for the first time during the campaign showed a deter- 
mined front. The cavalry division, however, soon found a 
crossing place, and dashing over the stream formed for ac- 
tion on the other side. But before they were in line the 
enemy was gone. The main body immediately crossed 
over, and the cavalry again pushed forward. 

"The Rebels seem at this time to have become thor- 
oughly scared, and retreated precipitately, felling trees 
across the road, and tearing up bridges to retard our ad- 
vance. But so rapidly were the trees removed, and the 
bridges repaired, that by four o'clock of the 13th, we were 
so near them that these futile attempts to check us were 
abandoned, and they resorted for safety to hard running. 
During the day scores of prisoners were captured, all of 
whom represented the Confederate army as being utterly 
demoralized. The pursuit was kept up until after nine 
o'clock, when we went into camp about seven miles from 
Meridian." 

Polk was supposed to have at least 20,000 men at Meri- 
dian, and Sherman expected him to offer battle. But no. 
The Rebels fled without striking a blow, carrying with them 
a goodly portion of their stores. As the Union calvary 
entered the town, the last train load of Rebels left it, 
the locomotive whistle screaming a defiant farewell. Had 
Sherman been sure that no resistance would be offered, 
he might have occupied the town more quickly, and made 
more important captures. Yet the taking of the town, as 
it was done, was a splendid stroke for the national cause. 
An eye-witness relates that when the news was brought in 
to Sherman that the Rebels had abandoned Meridian with- 
out a blow, and that the destruction was accomplished, 
he is said by eye-witnesses to have walked silently to and 



THE SPOILS OF WAR. 293 

fro for some minutes, and then burst out excitedly, "This 
is worth fifty millions to the Government." The Rebels 
seemed, up almost to the last moment, to have regarded 
Mobile as the point aimed at, Farragut's bombardment of 
Fort Powell serving to keep up the impression. "I am 
warranted in saying that Sherman was sanguine of his 
ability to have taken that city without difficulty, and had 
the object of his expedition permitted, would have done 
so. He states unhesitatingly that he felt sorely tempted to 
do so as it was, and nothing but the fact of its possibly 
frustrating other important movements already planned, 
prevented his undertaking it." 

The Union troops remained at Meridian seven days, de- 
stroying the arsenal and many other buildings. "The 
Ragsdale and Burton Hotels were destroyed after the fur- 
niture had been removed, it being the intention of Gen- 
eral Sherman to destroy nothing except that which might 
be used by the Rebel Government. The State Arsenal 
was stocked with valuable machinery for the manufacture 
and repair of small arms and all sorts of ordnance stores, 
the destruction of which will prove a serious blow to the 
enemy. Twelve extensive government sheds, a large 
building called the Soldier's Home, and a number of hos- 
pitals and warehouses filled with miscellaneous military 
stores, were set on fire and totally destroyed. Two large 
grist mills were likewise burned, after our army had ground 
a sufficient supply of corn meal. Twenty thousand bush- 
els of corn fell into our hands, and was speedily converted 
into corn cakes for the hungry soldiers." 

General William Sooy Smith did not get to Meridian 
with his cavalry expedition on February loth, as Sherman 
had directed, nor did he get there at all. Sherman waited 
in hope that he would come, and sent out parties to look 



294 SMITH' S FA IL URE. 

for him, but to no avail. He afterward found that Smith 
had not left Memphis until February iitb, had gone as far 
as West Point, and had returned to Memphis on February 
22d. During his week's stay at Meridian, however, Sher- 
man was not idle. Beside the work of destruction there, 
he sent out rading parties in different directions, for the 
purpose of destroying whatever might benefit the re- 
bellion. Among the places devastated were Enterprise, 
Marion, Quitman, Hillsboro, Canton, Lake Station, Deca- 
tur, Bolton and Lauderdale Springs. At Enterprise, the 
depot, two flour mills, 15,000 bushels of corn, 2,000 bales 
of fine cotton, branded C. S. A., two military hospitals, and 
several new buildings connected with a parole camp, were 
laid in ashes. 

"At Marion the railroad station, wood-house, and a few 
small buildings were burned. Quitman was visited and 
two flour mills, a fine saw-mill, railroad depot and other 
storage buildings, with several thousand feet of lumber, 
fell a prey to the fire king. At Hillsboro several stores 
were set on fire. Seventeen damaged locomotives, six 
locomotives in fine running order, a number of cars, and 
a repair shop, with hand-cars, quantities of sleepers, and 
tool house, were destroyed at Canton — all belonging to 
the Mississippi Central Railroad. No private property 
was molested or injured at Canton, the inhabitants never 
having fired upon our troops. Beyond the depletion of 
a few unguarded hen-roosts, very little depredation was 
committed. 

"An ardent secession lady," continues the correspon- 
dent, " discovered a vile Yankee surreptitiously purloin- 
ing a pair of fat chickens. Terribly incensed at this 
wanton robbery and gross violation of the rights of per- 
sonal property, she make a bold onslaught, but I regret to 



ETHICS OF THE HEN ROOST 295 

say that all her expostulatious failed to convince the de- 
moralized and hungry ' mudsill ' that he was sinning, for he 
replied, 'Madam! this accursed rebellion must be crushed, 
if it takes every chicken in Mississippi.' The door was 
slammed to with violence, and the enraged woman retired, 
disgusted with 'Yankee' habits, to mourn over the loss of 
her plump pair of chickens. 

" Our troops raised sad havoc with the Mobile and Ohio 
and the Southern railroad lines. The Southern road was 
torn up, rails twisted, and sleepers burnt from Jackson to 
twenty miles east of Meridian to Cuba Station. The 
Mobile and Ohio road was destroyed for fifty-six miles, ex- 
tending from Quitman to Lauderdale Springs. Five costly 
bridges were totally destroyed ; the one spanning the 
Chickasawhay River was 210 feet long with trestle-work 
which required four months' hard labor of hundreds of 
mechanics to construct it. It was a substantial, covered 
bridge. The bridges over Octchibacah, Alligator, Talla- 
hassee, and Chunky Rivers were also burned. The Mobile 
and Ohio road, which was so thoroughly destroyed, was 
considered by engineers to be the finest built road in the 
United States, costing $50,000 per mile. It was built 
principally by English capitalists, and George Peabody, 
the London banker, owned several thousand shares." 

After a week at Meridian, Sherman moved northward. 
On February 26th he encamped near Canton, and the 
great raid was practically ended. On March 3d, he was 
back in Vicksburg, exactly a month after he had left it. 
He left his army at Canton. It had marched about four 
hundred and fifty miles in less than a month, and had 
lived on the country it marched through. And it was now 
in better health and general condition than when it started. 

Its losses had been slight: 21 killed, 6Z wounded, and 



296 AMONG THE FREEDMEN. 

81 missing. It brought in over 400 prisoners, 1,000 white 
refugees, 5,000 negroes, and vast trains of cattle and 
wagons ; while the carnage it had done to the Rebel cause 
was simply incalculable. In summing up the results of 
the expedition, and describing one of its most picturesque 
and impressive features, a New York Tribune writer said : 

"Everywhere the blacks testified unmixed delight at our 
approacf), frequently meeting us with their wives and chil- 
dren 'toting' their little all along with them, and ap- 
parently fully satisfied of the advent of the 'day of ju- 
bilo.' Repeatedly were our men advised of the hiding 
places of hoards of bacon, pork, hams, stock, carriages, 
etc., the movements of Rebel military and the where- 
abouts of citizens fighting in the Rebel army. It is in 
vain that the people have sought to inspire them with 
aversion and terror of our Northern, especially Yankee, 
soldiers. They know better, and in spite of the habit of 
years to obey and believe their masters, they will not credit 
what they say, but preferring to cut loose forever from the 
associations of youth and all of home they know, throw 
themselves upon the uncertain issue of their new con- 
dition with a faith that is sublime. 

"From 5,000 to 7,000 of these people accompanied the 
triumphal return of Sherman's expedition, and I defy any 
human being with as much feeling in his bosom as even 
Legree in Mrs. Stowe's immortal story to look on such a 
scene unmoved. Old men with the frosts of 90 years upon 
their heads, men in the prime of manhood, youth, and 
children that could barely run, women with their babies 
at their breasts, girls with the blood of white men in their 
veins, old women tottering feebly along, leading children 
and grandchildren, dear to them as our own sons and 
daughters are to us. They came, many of them, it is true, 



RED RIVER. 297 

with shout and careless laughter, but siicnr tears coursed 
down many a cheek — tears of thankfulness for their great 
deliverance, and there were faces in that crowd which 
shone with a joy which caused them to look almost in- 
spired. Those may smile who will, but the story of the 
coming up of the children of Israel out of the land of 
Egypt can never call up to my mind a more profound 
emotion than the remembrance of that scene. 

"When I looked upon the long lane filing in through 
roads along which our slaughtered brothers lie buried 
thicker than sheaves in a harvest field, and reflected on 
the horrors to which this race had been subjected, I felt 
faith in a God of Justice renewed in my heart, and hope 
in the success of our cause rekindle to a brighter flame." 

From Vicksburg Sherman went to New Orleans to ar- 
range with Banks and Porter the details of the Red River 
expedition. Banks wanted 10,000 of Sherman's men for 
thirty days, and Sherman promised that he should have 
them. So, returning to Vicksburg, Sherman directed A. 
J. Smith to take 7,500 men of Hurlbut's corps (Six- 
teenth), and 2,500 of McPherson's (Seventeenth), and re- 
port to Banks for thirty days and no more, at the end of 
which time he was to return to Vicksburg. The Red 
River expedition was not successful, and it was two and 
a-half months before A. J. Smith returned to Vicksburg, 
much of the delay being caused by low water in the rivers, 
and consequent diflSculties of transportation. 



CHAPTER XXI. 

THE BEGINNING OF THE END. 

Grant made Lieutenant-General — Correspondence with Sherman — 
Their Memorable Interview — Planning a Scientific Campaign — 
General Howard's Pen Picture of the Two Soldiers — Schofield, 
McPherson and Thomas — Grant's Final Orders — Sherman's Army 
IN Line — Strength of Johnston's Army — General Howard's Ac- 
count OF the Advance. 

March 4th, 1864, marked the beginning of the end 
of the great rebellion. A law had been made by Con- 
gress, authorizing the appointment of a Lieutenant-Gen- 
eral, to command all the armies of the Nation. President 
Lincoln promptly selected Grant for the position, and 
on the date above named telegraphed to him at Nashville 
to come at once to Washington. Grant received this ex- 
alted honor with his characteristic modesty, and assumed 
the vast responsibility without hesitation. But in this 
"crowded hour of glorious life," which to him was surely 
"worth an age without a name," the great soldier in- 
stinctively turned his earliest thoughts toward his comrades 
in arms, and first and most toward Sherman. In the very 
hour in which he received the dispatch from Washington, 
he wrote to Sherman, telling him the news, and generously 
attributing a large share of his success to his faithful aids. 

"Dear Sherman," he said, " . . .1 want to express my 
298 



SHERMAN'S ESTIMA TE OF GRANT. 299 

thanks to you and McPherson, as the men to whom, above 
all others, I feel indebted for whatever I have had of suc- 
cess. How far your advice and assistance have been of 
help to me, you know. How far your execution of what- 
ever has been given you to do entitles you to the reward 
I am receiving, you cannot know as well as I. I feel all 
the gratitude this letter would express, giving it the most 
flattering construction. The word you I use in the plural, 
intending it for McPherson also. I should write to him, and 
will some day, but starting in the morning, I do not know 
that I will find time just now." 

Equally generous and noble was Sherman's reply. After 
referring to the transcendent importance of Grant's new 
rank, as " Washington's legitimate successor," he said : 
" You do McPherson and myself too much honor. At 
Belmont you manifested your traits — neither of us being 
near. At Donelson, also, you illustrated your whole charac- 
ter. I was not near, and General McPherson in too sub- 
ordinate a capacity to influence you. Until you had won 
Donelson, I confess I was almost cowed by the terrible 
array of anarchical elements that presented themselves at 
every point ; but that admitted a ray of light I have fol- 
lowed since. 

" I believe you are as brave, patriotic, and just as the 
great prototype, Washington — as unselfish, kind-hearted, 
and honest as a man should be — but the chief characteristic 
is the simple faith in success you have always manifested, 
which I can liken to nothing else than the faith a Christian 
has in the Saviour. 

" This faith gave you the victory at Shiloh and Vicks- 
burg. Also when you have completed your best prepara- 
tions, you go into battle without hesitation, as at Chatta- 
nooga — no doubts — no reserves ; and I tell you, it was this 



300 LINCOLN AND GRANT. 

that made us act with confidence. I knew, wherever I was, 
that you thought of me, and if I got in a tight place you 
would help me out, if alive. 

" My only point of doubts was, in your knowledge of 
grand strategy, and of books of science and history ; but, 
I confess, your common sense seems to have supplied all 
these." 

The appointment of Grant was confirmed, and on March 
9th, 1864, in the presence of the Cabinet, Lincoln gave 
him his commission as Lieutenant-General, saying as he 
did so : 

" General Grant : The Nation's appreciation of what 
you have done, and its reliance upon you for what remains 
to be done in the existing great struggle, are now present 
with this commission constituting you Lieutenant-General 
of the Armies of the United States. With this high 
honor devolves upon you also a corresponding responsibility. 
As the country herein trusts you, so, under God, it will sus- 
tain you. I need scarcely add that with what I here speak 
for the Nation goes my own hearty personal concurrence." 

Grant's reply was brief and modest. He said : 

" Mr. President : I accept the commission with grati- 
tude for the high honor conferred. With the aid of the 
noble armies that have fought on so many fields for our 
common country, it will be my earnest endeavor not to 
disappoint your expectations. I feel the full weight of the 
responsibilities now devolving upon me, and I know that 
if they are met it will be due to these armies, and, above 
all, to the favor of that Providence which leads both nations 
and men." 

By the same order that put Grant in command of all the 
armies, Sherman was made commander of the Military 
Division of the Mississippi ; and McPherson, of the 



GRANT AND SHERAf AN. 3OI 

Department and Army of the Tennessee. This order 
reached Sherman at Memphis on March 14th, just as he 
was starting for Huntsville to prepare for a campaign in 
Georgia. Accompanying it was a dispatch from Grant, 
asking Sherman to meet him at Nashville. Sherman 
accordingly went to the last named place, met Grant there, 
and travelled with him as far as Cincinnati on his way to 
Washington. In the newspapers of March 21st appeared 
the following inconspicuous news items : 

"Louisville, Saturday, March 19th 1864. 

" Lieutenant-General Grant passed through here to night 
en route for Washington. 

" Major-General Sherman also passed through here to- 
night en route for Cincinnati. 

" Cincinnati, March 20th, 1864. 

"Lieutenant-General Grant and staff arrived here this 
morning, and left to-night for Washington. 

" Major-General Sherman also arrived here this morning." 

On that journey to Cincinnati, the death-warrant of the 
Southern Confederacy was made out, and it was signed 
and sealed in the parlor of the Burnet House, Cincinnati, 
when the two Generals bent together over a map, marked 
out the great Richmond and Atlanta campaigns, and then, 
with a silent hand-clasp, parted, not to meet again until 
each had done deeds that made the world ring with his 
fame. 

Of these interviews and the illustrious men who parti- 
cipated in them, and of the events immediately following, 
General O. O. Howard speaks as follows: 

"Now behold these men together. Grant and Sherman! 
Grant of medium size, of short neck, square shoulders, 
well proportioned head, and firmly knit frame. His heavy 
brow and large eye, changeable surely, but always masked 



302 PICTURE OF TWO GENERALS. 

by his strong self-control, accorded him quiet dignity and 
becoming respect. His smile, which never failed him up 
to the last sickness, lighted his face, bespoke humor and 
good-fellowship, and to Sherman the utmost friendliness. 
Sherman appeared tall beside him ; his forehead high, his 
hair light and sandy, his eye keen and piercing, and his 
frame though not so compact as Grant's, supple and ex- 
pressive of health and energy. Grant inspired you in his 
wholeness like a fertile prairie, Sherman like a hill-country 
abounding in choice knolls and mountain heights. His 
bouyant coming put one at ease. His deep pleasant voice 
riveted attention, and his fast flowing conversation 
rewarded your silence, 

j " There at Nashville they met, and Grant turned over 
to Sherman the Western armies. Grant hastened back to 
Washington, Sherman went with him as far as Cincinnati. 
In a sentence, Sherman has summed up their prolonged 
council of war : Amidst constant interruptions of a busi- 
ness and social nature we reached the satisfactory con- 
clusion that as soon as the season would permit, all the 
armies of the Union would assume the 'bold offensive' 
by 'concentric lines' on the common enemy, and would 
finish up the job in a single campaign if possible. The 
main objectives were Lee's Army behind the Rapidan in 
Virginia, and Joseph E. Johnston's Army at Dalton, 
Georgia." 

"Johnston's army was our work, in a nut-shell. Sub- 
stantially, take a bold offensive — Beat Johnston — Get 
into the interior — Inflict damage, and keep our enemy so 
busy that he cannot reinforce elsewhere. 

"To catch glimpses of how the work so ordered was 
undertaken, there are other pictures. General Sherman 
had some original ways of rapid transit. A special car 



SCHO FIELD, iWPHERSOiV AND THOMAS. 3O3 

took him, the 25th of March, to General G. M. Dodge, a 
Corps Commander, then at Pulaski, Tennessee. Next he 
joined McPherson at Huntsville, Alabama. The two latter 
were very soon with Thomas at Chattanooga; and were 
after that speedily with Schofield a hundred miles east- 
ward without rail-cars at Knoxville. Schofield turned 
back with them, so that shortly after, at Chattanooga, in 
the left hand room of a one story house, now owned by 
Mr. J. T. Williams, took place before the end of March 
another memorable war-meeting. 

"One figure there was that of General Schofield. He 
was to bring into the field about fourteen thousand men. 
He was in form more like Grant than Sherman. He 
combined intellectual vigor with marked judiciousness. 
Another figure was McPherson. He had to furnish some 
twenty-five thousand soldiers. He was equal to Sherman 
in quickness of thought, but, like all engineers, more wary 
in his execution. 

"With his genial face, his large high head and fine fig- 
ure, he stood with the noblest. The third. General George 
H. Thomas, with his nearly seventy thousand aggregate. 
He was tall and broad, and heavy and handsome, of good 
judgment and sterling record. These three army com- 
manders were thus assembled, and the hearty Sherman 
was with them. Of this group, Sherman in his story has 
said: 'We had nothing like a council of war, but consulted 
freely and frankly on all matters of interest to them, then 
in progress or impending.' At farthest the first of May 
was to end the period of preparation, when the different 
clans should be gathered and ready for the fray. The 
leaders of corps and divisions, and the essential consoli- 
dations were there fixed upon ; and the great problem of safe 
supply was, at least to themselves, satisfactorily solved. 



304 PREPARING FOR BUSINESS. 

"The meeting broke up, the commanders returned to 
their places, taking Sherman for awhile to Nashville. No 
man can tell the amount of hard work that resulted 
from this interview. The next month was pregnant with 
the faith and hope of the coming campaign. Behold 
the loaded trains, following untiringly in sight of each 
other ; but do not stop to count the broken engines by the 
wayside, or the cars turned topsy turvey. 

"Behold the duplicate and triplicate bridges, the hosts 
of mules and horses in motion, the redoubts and block- 
houses constructed, or building, the sugar, the coffee, and 
the hard bread and other supplies, coming into Chattanoo- 
ga, and the. herds of cattle lowing along the dusty roads 
leading to the front, all the way from Louisville and Nash- 
ville. The soldiers said, * Tecumseh is a great fellow. 
He means business.' Thorough and confident prepara- 
tions are always a source of encouragement and inspira- 
tion." 

The nation was now to see scientific warfare. The cam- 
paigns of the Union armies were planned with mathemati- 
cal accuracy. There were three grand divisions of attack 
upon the Rebellion. At the east, moving directly against 
the Rebel capital, was Grant with the Army of the Poto- 
mac. West of the Mississippi River was Banks. The 
great central region was left to Sherman, and his objec- 
tive point was Atlanta. The Mississippi Valley was fully 
wrested from Rebel control, and a series of brilliant victo- 
ries marked the whole line from Vicksburg, on that river, 
to Chattanooga, among the Appalachian Mountains. Be- 
tween the river and the mountains the war was practically 
ended and the Confederacy crushed. But in the rich and 
populous country between the mountains and the Atlantic 
coast the insurgents were still strong. There was concen- 



GRANT'S PLAN- OF OPERATIONS. 305 

trated all the power that the Richmond Government now 
possessed. And the people of Georgia and the Carolinas 
actually believed themselves to be secure from "Yankee 
invasion," guarded as they v^rere by the powerful armies of 
Lee and Jackson, and by the mighty natural ramparts of 
the mountain range. 

But Sherman proposed to cross the mountains and 
march through the heart of this country to Atlanta, which 
was its industrial centre. This city was the converging 
point of many important railroads, and here were the 
principal machine shops and other factories of the Rebel 
Government. To capture it would break the spirit of the 
South and cripple its military power as no other blow, not 
even the capture of Richmond, could do. 

On April 4th, Grant outlined to Sherman his plans for 
the campaign, as follows : 

" It is my design, if the enemy keeps quiet, and allows 
me to take the initiative in the spring campaign, to work 
all parts of the army together, and somewhat toward a 
common centre. For your information I now write you 
my programme as at present determined upon. 

" I have sent orders to Banks, by private messenger, to 
finish up his present expedition against Shreveport with 
all dispatch ; to turn over the defence of Red River to 
General Steele and the navy, and return your troops to 
you, and his own to New Orleans ; to abandon all Texas 
except the Rio Grande, and to hold that with a force not ex- 
ceeding 4,000 men ; to reduce the number of troops on the 
Mississippi to the lowest necessary to hold it, and to col- 
lect from his command not less than 25,000 men. To 
this I will add 5,000 from Missouri. With this torce he is 
to commence operations against Mobile as soon as he can. 
It will be impossible for him to commence too early. 



306 WHAT SHERMAN WAS TO DO. 

"Gilmore joins Butler with 10,000 men, and the two 
operate against Richmond from the south side of James 
River. This will give Butler 33,000 men, W. F. Smith 
commanding the right wing of his forces, and Gilmore the 
left wing. I will stay with the Army of the Potomac, in- 
creased by Burnside's Corps of not less than 25,000 effec- 
tive men, and operate directly against Lee's army wherever 
it may be found. Sigel collects all his available force in 
two columns — one, under Ord and Averill, to start from 
Beverley, Virginia, and the other, under Crook, to start 
from Charleston, on the Kanawha — to move against the 
Virginia and Tennessee Railroad. Crook will endeavor to 
get in about Saltville, and move east from there to join 
Ord. His force will be all cavalry, while Ord will have 
from 10,000 to 12,000 men of all arms. You I propose to 
move against Johnston's army, to break it up and get into 
the enemy's country as far as you can, inflicting all the 
damage you can against their war resources. 

" I do not propose to lay down for you a plan of cam- 
paign, but simply to indicate the work it is desirable to 
have done, and leave you free to execute it in your own 
way. Submit to me, however, as soon as you can, your 
plan of operation. 

"As stated. Banks is ordered to commence operations 
as soon as he can ; Gillmore is ordered to report at Fortress 
Monroe by the i8th, or as soon thereafter as practicable; 
Sigel is concentrating now. None will move from their 
places of rendezvous until I direct, except Banks. I want 
to be ready to move by the 25th instant, if possible; 
but all I can now direct is that you get ready as 
soon as you can. I know you will have difficulties to 
encounter in getting through the mountains to where 
supplies are abundant, but I believe you will accomplish it." 




MAJOR-GENERAL SCHOFIELD, U. S. A. 



.-/ WORD OF CAUTION. 309 

And ten days later he added : 

" What I now want more particularly to say is that, if 
the two main attacks, yours and the one from here, should 
promise great success, the enemy may, in a fit of despera- 
tion, abandon one part of their line of defence and throw 
their whole strength upon a single army, believing a 
defeat with one victory to sustain them better than a 
defeat all along their whole line, and hoping, too, at the 
same time, that the army, meeting with no resistance, will 
rest perfectly satisfied with its laurels, having penetrated 
to a given point south, thereby enabling them to throw 
their force first upon one and then on the other. 

" With the majority of military commanders they might 
do this ; but you have had too much experience in travel- 
ling light, and subsisting upon the country, to be caught by 
any such ruse, I hope my experience has not been thrown 
away. My directions, then, would be, if the enemy in 
your front shows signs of joining Lee, follow him up to the 
extent of your ability. I will prevent the concentration 
of Lee upon your front if it is in the power of this army to 
do it." 

Grant proposed to move against Lee on May 5th, and it 
was arranged that Sherman should at the same time move 
against Johnston. For this work Sherman now put for- 
ward his preperations with all possible zeal and thorough- 
ness. On April 27th he ordered all his troops to Chatta- 
nooga, and the next day placed his own headquarters there. 
On May 6th his mighty host was marshalled for the 
advance. Three armies were under his command. The 
Army of the Tennessee was on the bank of Chickamauga 
Creek, near Gordon's Mill. It comprised the Fifteenth 
and parts of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Army Corps, 
under Generals Logan, Dodge and Blair, with the gallant 



3 I O SHERMAN 'S A RMY. 

McPherson in general command. The Army of the Cum- 
berland was at Ringgold. It included the Fourth, Four- 
teenth and Twentieth Corps, under Generals Howard, 
Palmer and Hooker, with Thomas in general command. 
The Army of the Ohio was near Red Clay, north of 
Dalton, Georgia. It consisted of the Ninth and Twenty- 
third Corps, and was commanded by General Schofield. 
The strength of these armies was as follows : Tennessee 
— Infantry, 22,437; Artillery, 1,404; Cavalry, 624; total, 
24,465; guns, 96. Cumberland — Infantry, 54,568; Artil- 
lery, 2,377; Cavalry, 3,828; total, 60,773; guns, 130. 
Ohio — Infantry, 11,193; Artillery, 679; Cavalry, 1,697: 
total, 13,559 ; guns, 28. Sherman had planned an army of 
100,000 men and 250 guns. He actually had, according 
to the above statement, 98,797 men and 254 guns. 

The opposing Rebel army was now commanded by 
Joseph E. Johnston, who had succeeded Bragg, and com- 
prised three corps, under Hardee, Hood and Polk. Ac- 
cording to Johnston's official statement, its total strength 
in April, 1864, was 52,992, and at the middle of May, 
when the battle of Resaca was fought, 71,235. The num- 
ber of guns on both sides was about equal. 

The Army of the Potomac crossed the Rapidan on May 
4th, and Grant, sitting on a log in the Virginia woods, 
telegraphed to Sherman at Chattanooga to move forward. 
General Howard's account of the opening of the great 
march is as follows : 

" When we were ready for the bold offensive, the left 
of Thomas, (Howard's Corps) rested at Catoosa Springs 
his centre, (Hooker) at Ringsfold, and his right, (Palmer) 
at Leet's Tan Yard. McPherson was near Villanow, and 
Schofield moving southward from Cleveland, Tennessee, 
approached Dalton. It was the sixth of May. 



BEGINNING THE GREAT MARCH. 311 

"Notice Catoosa Springs, a summer resort. Tiie sur- 
rounding hills were covered with trees, light green, in 
tender leaf ; and the mountain ranges on two sides, Look- 
out and Taylor's Ridge, gave substantial back ground to a 
variegated and charming landscape. The effect of war 
had already nearly depopulated the village, so that there 
was little use for the large hotel buildings or the smaller 
boarding-houses — a few trembUng citizens and a few 
dubious black people were all that remained to satisfy 
official curiosity and supply local knowledge. 

"This bright May morning I saw Thomas and Sherman 
together. Sherman, now that things were in motion, 
appeared happy and confident. With a map before him, 
he gave us briefly the entire situation. Here is Dalton, — 
there your force — on this side Schofield. Down there 
McPherson, soon to pass the Snake Gap and strike 
Johnston's line. Thomas in his quiet way put forth then 
the bolder view, viz : send at once the larger force, not the 
smaller, through the gap. Sherman shook his head, and 
signified that he was not yet ready to exchange bases with 
Johnston. But there was no jar, only confidence in each 
other and strong hope in our hearts as we separated that 
day. 

" Early the next morning was another meeting, out in 
the open field. Stanley with his strong build, fine face 
and long beard. T. J. Wood of smaller stature, grayish 
hair and decisive, caustic ways ; and Newton with his 
handsome figure and keen sensitive looks, never thoroughly 
contented till the conflict was actually joined. These 
Division Commanders of the fourth corps stood near each 
other intently gazing upon the crest of Tunnel Hill. Our 
troops were already deployed and advancing in the beauti- 
ful morning light — arms were never brighter — and the 



3 12 OPENING THE BALL. 

Confederate cavalry, in full array, coming up from beyond 
the ridge, with skirmish interval, added interest and 
emotion to the parade. A battery or so, hastening to 
place, only deepened the feeling in the breasts of our ex- 
perienced veterans. 

"At a word of command and a bugle call the outer line 
took up the run, and soon cleared the whole front. A few 
zip, zips of the formost rifles, a few cannon salutes, a few 
screeches of shells, a few men wounded to the death or 
maimed for life ! and that was all ! When I took my stand 
by Stanley's side on the crest of the hill just gained, and 
thence sought to reconnoitre Tailor's craggy mou'Vitain 
range which still sheltered the bulk of Johnston's host, 
Stanley cried out : General, the ball is opened ! And so 
it had. It was a curious ball, a long dance, for more than 
one hundred days. And it was a terrible dance, wilder at 
times than comes to foresters amid the bending and 
falling of trees in a hurricane ; it was fearfully suggestive 
of the savage war-dance of the red men that ends in death 
to white men and desolation to homes. 

" Far off to the centre and right. Palmer with his strongly 
marked face and Thomas-like proportions, and the hand- 
some, ' fio-hting Joe ' Hooker, always a law unto himself, 
bore their part in the opening ball, closing up speedily to 
the rocky face barrier, and estopping that mouth of Georgia, 
whence issued stranger, screeching, whizzing birds than 
those which gave the gaping mouth its name of Buzzard's 
Gap. One such savage bird in the shape of a minie-ball 
flew between Howard and Thomas, wound its way through 
their group of staff officers, grazed the limb of a tree and 
fell upon the ground, tearing in its flight a general's coat 
in three rents, and pecking an uncouth hole through the rim 
of a staff hat. Mean while Newton and his brave men, 



THE BUZZARDS^ ROOST. 313 

against bloody resistance, were dragging cannon to the very 
hostile crest northward ; and Hooker was ascending the 
mountain against heavy odds southward of the old Buz- 
zard's formidable roosts." 



CHAPTER XXII. 

ATLANTA. 

The Turning of Rocky Face — Resaca — General Howard's Narra- 
tive — Adairsville — Crossing THE Etowah — Sherman on- Familiar 
Ground— Dealing with Breaches of Discipline — Allatoona Pass — 
The Siege and Turning of Kenesaw — Smyrna and Peach Tree — 
Hood succeeds Johnston — Death of McPherson — Howard in Com- 
mand of the Army of the Tennessee — Ezra Church — Operations 
AROUND Atlanta — The Rush to Jonesboro — Capture of Atlanta. 

Sherman moved foward on May 6th toward Dalton, 
where lay the enemy. A direct attack 6n this position, 
however, was impossible. Dalton lay behind a precipitous 
mountain ridge, called Rocky Face, which it was impractica- 
ble to scale. The only passage way was through a narrow 
gap called Buzzard's Roost, through which ran a railroad 
and a small stream known as Mill Creek. The enemy had 
strongly fortified the place, and Sherman quickly decided 
that it would be folly to try to force his way through. He 
therefore gave orders to McPherson to move rapidly south- 
ward to Snake Creek Gap, at the southern extremity of 
the Rocky Face Ridge, where there was an easy passage 
through to Resaca, at the raih-oad crossing over Oostanaula 
River, eighteen miles south of Dalton. Thomas, on May 
7th, took up a strong position on Tunnel Hill, almost 
directly facing the Buzzard's Roost Gap, while Schofield 
314 



TURNING THE FLANK. 3IS 

Steadily approached Dalton from the north. Two days 
later, to keep Johnston occupied, Thomas made a feigned 
attack upon the Gap, driving the enemy's cavalry and 
skirmishers through it. The day was very stormy, but the 
troops rushed on in high spirits and with enthusiastic de- 
termination. A division of Howard's troops under New- 
ton actually surrounded the narrow ridge and carried a 
part north of the Gap, but the crest was too strait for 
them to make much pro^iess there. South of the Roost 
some of Hooker's men also made a rush for the summit, 
but found the enemy's works too strong to take and hold. 

The gallant McPherson had, meanwhile, reached Snake 
Creep Gap, and surprised the Confederate cavalry brigade 
that had been posted there. He marched practically with- 
out opposition to within a mile of Resaca, but then found 
that Johnston had defended that flace with fortifications 
which he deemed too strong for direct assault ; so, he fell 
back to Snake Creek Gap and waited for reinforcements. 

Next, Sherman directed Howard to remain on guard at 
Buzzard's Roost with the Fourth Corps and Stoneman's 
Cavalry, and sent forward Schofield and Thomas, with 
Cox's, Hooker's, and Palmer's Corps, to aid McPherson. 
Nearly the whole army was thus assembled on May 12th 
before Resaca, so that Johnston, seeing his flank turned^ 
that night abandoned Dalton and concentrated at Resaca. 
Howard follow'ing close with his horse and foot, pressed 
through Buzzard's Roost Gap, entered Dalton, and pursued 
Johnston till he joined Sherman at Resaca. 

Sherman now undertook to drive Johnston out of Re- 
saca by attacking him in front with his main army, while a 
detachment crossed over the Oostanaula and threatened 
his communications. The latter movement was effected 
by the way of Lay's Ferry and Calhoun. Early m the 



RESACA. 317 

afternoon of May r4th the grand attack upon Resaca be- 
gan. Sherman's left centre made a gallant assault, carried 
a work, captured some guns, but was then checked. 
Then the famous Hood made a furious attack upon 
Sherman's left flank and at first gained some advantage, 
which Howard, aided by a division of Hooker's, repulsed 
with great loss to the enemy. McPherson also gained 
a position from which he could pour an enfilading fire 
into Johnston's intrenchments. Johnston tried to dislodge 
him, but in vain, though the fighting v/as continued until 
nearly midnight. Next morning while a detachment crossed 
the river to the south, the battle was renewed, and by one 
o'clock the Union troops had captured a portion of the 
Rebel lines, and were within gunshot of Johnston's com- 
munications. That night he abandoned Resaca and fled to 
the south, burning the railroad bridge behind him. But 
Sherman entered the town in time to save the wagon 
bridge over the Oostanaula. In these operations at 
Resaca, Sherman's total losses were between 4,000 and 
5,000. Johnston's were less, probably not over 2,500, 
since his men fought in this roughest of country chiefly 
from behind fortifications. A general pursuit of Johnston 
by Sherman's entire army was immediately ordered. 

Speaking of the battle of Resaca, General Howard 
says : 

" One scene at Resaca might be painted. Two rivers 
come together, one, the Oostansula flowing west, and its 
tributary, the Connassauga, south. Confederate Johnston, 
after fleeing from Dalton, placed his army in the north- 
west angle of the streams, resting Polk's Corps against 
the Oostanaula, facing west, put Hardee's next above, run- 
ning up a creek, and then bore Hood back in a convex 
curve till his men touched the Connassauga. Sherman 



3l8 ADAIRSVILLE. 

made McPherson breast Polk ; Schofield face Hardee's 
intended lines, and Thomas take care of Hood. Thus we 
were holding the outer or enveloping lines, all in the midst 
of forest land exceedingly rough and wild. Thomas had 
not men enough to fill his line and cover half of Hood's 
front. Stanley, of Howard's Corps, held the left. He put 
much cannon on convenient knolls and had as large reserves 
as he could spare ; but either the indomitable Hood or the 
wary Johnston had discovered the weakness of our left, so 
that about 3 P. M. the masses of Hood came pouring, like 
mountain torrents, upon Stanley and far beyond the reach 
of his rifles and the staying force of his artillery. Word 
came, " Stanley's left is turned." And so instantly Howard 
rode to a group of mounted officers. Here were Hooker, 
Thomas and Sherman together. " What is it, Howard } " 
asked Thomas anxiously. " I want a division at once for 
my left." " General Hooker will give you one." "Yes," 
said Hooker, " Williams' Division is right there." Colonel 
Morgan, of Howard's staff, in less than five minutes was 
guiding Williams' brave men in quick time, to the threat- 
ened flank. In less than fifteen minutes Hood's masses 
were running back for cover to his fortified ground. This 
was the crisis. Prompt action and fearless men saved the 
left from impending disaster." 

The Union armies pressed forward as rapidly as pos- 
sible, along roads on which the dust lay a foot deep. The 
heat was intense and the men suffered greatly. On the 
afternoon of the 17th the advance guards struck the rear 
guard of the enemy at Adairsville, and had a sharp skir- 
mish. Here, between 4 and 5 P. M., Howard and Newton 
with their respective staffs, all mounted, were watching 
from elevated ground, Newton's skirmish line, as it joined 
fire with Johnston's rearguard. " Musketry was Hvely," 



ON THE ETOWAH. 3 1 9 

says Howard, " and a few cannon were sounding. It was 
something like a lion's interrupted roar, or the thunder of 
an approaching storm. Sherman and other officers rode 
up and began to take observations. Suddenly, from a new 
place, from the edge of a wood, a hostile four-gun battery 
took us for a practice-target. Shell after shell cut the air 
and burst beside and behind us, and over our heads. It 
was probably the fourth shot which exploded high up, sky- 
ward, but at just the point to scatter its fragments among 
the men and animals of our company ; Colonel Morgan's 
horse was injured ; Lieutenant-Colonel Fullerton's was 
put hors die combat and several others of the orderlies 
and escort lamed or slain. Captain Bliss, of Nev/ton's 
staff, by a flying fragment lost his shoulder-strap, and he 
himself was painfully hurt. Of course, that social crowd 
instantly altered the shape of the practice-target and 
changed its location." 

That night the enemy hastened the flight, different 
divisions of the army going in different directions, but on 
the next day Sherman came up with Johnston again at 
Kingston. The two armies faced each other in a rolling, 
wooded region, on to and beyond Cassville, and Sherman 
hoped to bring on a decisive battle. But Johnston again 
retreated, and that night, across the Etowah River, "a 
step," says Johnston, " which I have regretted ever 
since." This step was taken, it was said, on the advice of 
Polk and Hood, who regarded their position to be already 
turned and untenable. By this retreat across the Etowah 
a valuable region was given up to Sherman. 

The army now rested for three days, while supplies were 
brought forward. Rome had been captured with its im- 
portant foundries and stores. The two bridges across the 
Etowah were secured, and all was made ready for the next 



3 20 SHERMAN'S EXC YCL OPMDIC KNO WLEDGE. 

Stage of the campaign. About this time a remarkable 
thing began to be observed. Sherman displayed a knowl- 
edge of the conntry through which they were marching 
that was most amazing to his comrades, to whom it was 
an unknown land. He seemed to know by intuition that 
this road ran so and that one so, that beyond this hill was 
a pleasant valley, and beyond that an impassable swamp. 
The whole topography of the country was at his command. 
But the explanation was simple. They were now in the 
region that Sherman had travelled through on horseback 
and afoot many years before. 

And it was one of Sherman's most notable traits of in- 
tellect to see everything that was to be seen and to remem- 
ber everything that he saw, so that his mind became a per- 
fect encyclopaedia of useful information. If he went 
through a cotton mill, or a salt work, or an iron foundry, he 
was so observant, and his memory so retentive, that al- 
ways thereafter he appeared an expert on that industry. 
This knowledge of the geography and topography of 
Georgia was of incalculable service to him during the 
march to Atlanta. 

And at the same time many other interesting traits of 
Sherman's personality began to show themselves. He was 
at times a strict disciplinarian, and yet often so kindly and 
sympathetic that he inclined to be lenient with offenders. 
At Resaca for instance, he had been working all night, 
while the army slept, and in the morning he fell asleep 
sitting on the ground, his head and shoulders resting 
against a fallen tree. There he sat as some of the 
troops marched by, and awoke just in time to hear a 
grumbhng private remark, " That's a pretty commander 
for an army." Instead of ordering the man's arrest, 
Sherman simply remarked, " My man, I wa^ working all 



A RM Y DISCI PL INE. 3 2 1 

night while you were asleep. Now, don't you think I 
have a right to take a nap while you are marching to 
your work ? " 

Again, during the rest before crossing the Etowah, 
an incident occurred which General Howard relates. It 
was Sunday morning, and E. P. Smith, a member of the 
Christian Commission, mounted to the belfry floor, and 
tried to ring the bell of the church at Kingston for ser- 
vice. He slipped against a nail, and had his clothes 
badly torn. The noise of the bell disturbed Sherman, 
and, not knowing who the ringer was, he sent a guard to 
the church, and had Smith arrested. In spite of his 
protests, Smith was marched to headquarters and kept in 
confinement for an hour. Then, with his rent clothing, 
he was led into Sherman's presence. The General, scarcely 
looking up from his writing, to see who it was, and sup- 
posing it to be one of the army "bummers," demanded 
abruptly, "What did you ring that bell for } " " For ser- 
vice, General; it is Sunday," repHed Smith. "Oh, is it 
Sunday .-' " said Sherman. " I didn't know 'twas Sunday. 
Let him go." 

Johnston was now intrenched at Allatoona Pass, and 
Sherman knew that the position was too strong to be car- 
ried by direct assault. He therefore determined to make 
a circuit to the right, and marched toward Dallas, John- 
ston detected this movement, and prepared to meet it. On 
May 25th, the armies met again at New Hope Church, 
just north of Dallas. Hooker led Sherman's advance, and 
ran against one of Hood's brigades in a forest. A sharp 
conflict followed, while a terrific thunder storm was raging. 
Hooker's men made repeated attacks upon the enemy's 
position, but were hurled back from the log breastworks 
with much loss. Heavy rain continued all that night, but 



3-22 NEW HOPE CHURCH. 

Sherman's men worked steadily constructing fortifications 
of earthwork and logs. The next morning the engage- 
ment was continued, and for several days thereafter there 
was almost continual skirmishing. On the 28th the Rebels 
made a strong attack far to the right of Hooker, upon 
McPherson, at Dallas, but were repulsed. Then the army 
began pushing to the left, and by June ist Allatoona Pass 
was completely within the national lines, 

"The picture of the field of New Hope Church," says 
General Howard, "crowds memory like the painting of a 
young artist who has put too much upon his canvas. 
There was Hooker just at evening in an open wood — there 
were glimpses of log breastworks beyond him, from which 
came fierce firing against his lines stretched out — there 
were numberless maimed and many dead among the trees 
— and a little back was a church with many wounded, and 
many surgeons doing bloody work. It was dreadfully 
dark that night. Schofield's horse stumbled and disabled 
him, and General Cox took his place. We had numerous 
torches, weird in effect among the trees, as our men 
bravely worked into place and intrenched the batteries, 
and covered their front. But the torches seemed to make 
the darkness darker, and our hopes that night beat low. 
Johnston had stopped us rudely at New Hope Church. 
But afterwards Dallas and McPherson, off to our right, 
gave us the reverse side, and so hopes which had drooped 
revived, "when Confederates, and not Yankees, were there 
several times driven back. 

" Another night scene, though not quite so gloomy as 
that of New Hope Church, pictured itself the 27th of May 
at Pickett's Mill. Our enemy thus describes its cause. 
He says : ' The fighting rose above the grade of skirmish- 
ing, especially in the afternoon, when, at half-past 5, the 



riCKETTS MILL. 323 

Fourth Corps (Howard's) and a division of the I^ourteenth 
(Palmer) attempted to turn our (Confederate) right, but 
the movement, after being impeded by the cavalry, was 
met by two regiments of our right division (Cleburn's) 
and two brigades of his Second brought up on the first. 
The Federal formation was so deep that its front did not 
equal that of our two brigades ; consequently those troops 
were greatly exposed to our musketry — all but the leading 
troops being on a hillside facing us. They advanced until ' 
their first line was within twenty-five or thirty paces of 
ours and fell back only after at least seven hundred men 
had fallen dead in their places. When the leading Federal 
troops paused in their advance, a color bearer came on and 
planted his colors eight or ten feet in front of his regiment, 
but was killed in the act. A soldier who sprang forward to 
hold up or bear off the colors was shot dead as he seized 
the staff. Two others who followed successively fell like 
him, but the fourth bore back the noble emblem. Some 
time after night-fall, we (the Confederates) captured above 
two hundred prisoners in the hollow before them.' 

" It was of that sad night that this was written : ' We 
worked our men all that weary night in fortifying. The 
Confederate commander was ready at dayhght to take the 
offensive against us there at Pickett's MMl, but he did not 
do so, because he found our position too strong to warrant 
the attempt. With a foot bruised by a fragment of a shelly 
General Howard sat that night among the wounded in the 
midst of a forest glade, while Major Howard of his staff 
led regiments and brigrades into the new positions chosen 
for them. General R. W. Johnson, (Palmer's Division 
Commander) had been wounded and Captain Stinson ot 
Howard's staff had been shot though the lungs, and a large 
number lay there on a sliding slope by a faint camp fire, 



324 KENESAW. 

with broken limbs or disfigured faces.' Actually but one 
division, and not a corps, made that unsuccessful assault, 
and its conduct has received a brave enemy's high praise. 
The fighting and the night work secured the object of the 
movement, causing Johnston to swing back his whole army 
from Sherman's post to a new position." 

Thus Johnson abandoned his lines at New Hope Church 
and retreated to Marietta, taking up almost impregnable 
positions on Kenesaw, Pine and Lost Mountains. Sher- 
man marched to Ackworth, between Marietta and Allatoona 
Pass, and fortified the Pass. He was here reinforced by 
two divisions of the Seventeenth Corps and some other 
bodies of troops, which nearly compensated him for the 
losses in the battles he had fought. He had now driven 
Johnston before him nearly one hundred miles, had forced 
him to abandon four strong positions, had fought him six 
times, had captured over two thousand prisoners, twelve 
guns and three colors, had weakened the Rebel army by 
about fifteen thousand men, and had captured or destroyed 
many important factories, mills and other works of a public 
character. 

The line held by Johnston at Kenesaw and Pine Top 
was a strong one. But it was twelve miles long, and he 
had scarcely enough men to hold it at all points. To attack 
him on the crest of Kenesaw Mountain would be a hope- 
less task. But Sherman thought he could break through 
his lines on the gentler southern slope. On June nth the 
advance began. Hooker was at the right front and 
Howard at the left front, and they pressed forward with 
great vigor. During their canonading, on June 14th, they 
inflicted heavy losses upon the enemy, killing General Polk. 
Next day the Rebels abandoned Pine Mountain and retired 
to Muddy Creek, holding the rugged range of hills between 



FLAXKLVC AGAIN. 32/ 

Kenesaw and Lost Mountains. Again Sherman pressed 
the centre and turning to Johnston's flank on the 17th 
captured Lost Mountain and all the hills except Kenesaw. 
For three weeks thereafter the Union army vainly sought 
to dislodge Johnston from the heights of Kenesaw. It 
seemed an impossible task. The whole mountain was a 
fortress. There were miles of strong intrenchments. All 
the time the rain fell in torrents and the low lands were 
flooded. The roads were almost impassable. Sherman's 
soldiers at times worked knee deep in mud. But Lhey kept 
on working. 

The army was not content with besieging Kenesaw, but 
kept trying to work its way around that mountain. Dis- 
quieted by these events, the enemy sought to check them 
on June 22d, by a sharp attack upon Hooker at Kulp's 
farm, which was repulsed with heavy losses. Five days 
later, the 27th of June, Sherman ordered an attack to be 
made just South of the mountain, by Thomas, and a sup- 
porting movement by McPherson northward. They were 
both repulsed with heavy losses, and Sherman then de- 
cided to waste no more lives in direct attacks, but to turn 
the enemy's position, as he had done several times before. 
So on July ist, McPherson marched toward Turner's Ferry, 
there to cross the Chattahoochee, The movement was 
effective. Johnston immediately abandoned Kenesaw, and 
retreated five miles, to Smyrna Camp Ground. 

That Fourth of July Sherman was exultant. He did 
not believe the enemy would make another stand that side 
of the Chattahoochee. But Howard thought otherwise, and 
soon proved, by sending out a double line of skirmishers, 
that he was right. Johnston had intrenched himself 
strongly, and threatened to dispute Sherman's further pro- 
gress toward Atlanta. Schofield made a strong demonstra- 



328 IN FR ONT OF A TLANTA. 

tion across a neighboring ferry, however, and Johnston 
soon fell back to the Chattahoochee bridge, Thomas fol- 
lowing closely. The river was deep and swift, but Sher- 
man determined to cross it. Schofield went over first, 
near the mouth of South Creek ; then McPherson further 
up at Roswell ; Thomas built a bridge at Power's Ferry 
and crossed over, nearest of all to the Rebel lines ; and 
thus, by July 9th, they had crossed the river at three points 
and commanded three good roads to Atlanta. And the 
Rebel position was once more turned. Forthwith John- 
ston hurried across the river, burning the bridges behind 

him. 

" At Smyrna," says General Howard, " Atlanta was in 
plain sight. Johnston had bothered us long. He had re- 
pelled direct assaults with success except, perhaps, at 
Muddy Creek where Baird and Harker had ditched and 
covered their men, in the open, at one of his angles, and 
then had run squarely over his barricades. But Sherman, 
by that unceasing flanking operation of his, persistently 
undertaken and accomplished, while Hooker, Palmer, and 
Howard were hammering away at the centre motes, which 
had no approaches and no drawbridges, and now at last 
pressed Johnston back, back across the Etowah and across 
the Chattahoochee. Johnston had planned a final terrible 
blow for him at Peach Tree, when, fortunately for Sher- 
man and his army, Jefferson Davis, favoring, as he claimed, 
the indications of Providence, relieved the able Johnston 
from command, and put in charge the hardy but rash Hood. 
He at ©nee, as was expected, took the offensive. He came 
on, as at Gettysburg, from the close wood into the valley, 
to welcome us in his charming way. several miles out from 
Atlanta. His blows were so sudden and his onslaught so 
swift, that at first it disturbed Hooker's breathing, made 



PANIC-STRICKEN REBELS. 329 

Williams talk fast, and Geary suspend his favorite Kansas 
stories and tales of the Mexican war. In the laneuas-e of 
the football men, the Unions for a few hours, ' had a hard 
tussle.' They lost heavily, but managed to keep on the 
Atlanta side of the Peach Tree. Newton planted his big 
cross, made of soldiers, at the east end of Thomas's line, 
and Newton, though no doubt badly terrified, was as al- 
ways, too obstinate to go back, Thomas's modesty put in 
additional reserve batteries and kept pieces of iron rattling 
among the chapparal and alders of those low-land inter- 
vales. So Thomas and Newton preserved that weak left 
flank from capture. Hood had put forth his tremendous 
energy, but was baffled and turned back to his cover with- 
in the fortified lines of Atlanta." 

By this time the people of Georgia were fully roused 
from their old feeling of false security. They had seen 
the Union Army march triumphantly over the mountain 
barrier at the northwest. They had seen their favorite 
commander, Johnston, and his great army, driven from 
point to point and forced to surrender positions which had 
been deemed impregnable. And now Sherman's con- 
quering hosts, flushed with success, had crossed the 
Chattahoochee and lay only eight miles from Atlanta. 
Consternation prevailed* throughout the State, and the 
people of Atlanta itself were panic-stricken. Nor were 
they allowed to gain new courage by a respite. Sherman's 
advance upon the city suffered no delay. A strong 
cavalry force was pushed forward from Decatur, Alabama, 
to Opclika, and thence to Marietta, completly cutting off 
Johnston's army from all sources of supply and reinforce- 
ment in that direction. Sherman also brought up fresh 
stores from Chattanooga. July 17th a general advance was 
made. 



3 3 O JOHNS TON REMO VED. 

On this very day the Rebel government at Richmond 
committed an act that was worth three victories to the 
Union Army. There had long been antagonism between 
Joe Johnston and J. P. Benjamin, the Rebel Secretary of 
War, and Jefferson Davis had sympathized with the latter. 
Benjamin had now been removed from. office, but his suc- 
cessor, Seddon, had inherited the antagonism to Johnston. 
So now, on July 17th, a dispatch came to Johnston from 
Richmond, saying that since he had failed to check Sher- 
man's advance the government had no confidence in his 
ability to do so, and ordering him immediately to surrender 
his com.mand to General Hood. This did great injustice 
to Johnston, but it also did greater injury to Rebel cause. 
Hood was a brave general, but rash and not com- 
petent to direct the operations of a great army in an im- 
portant campaign. Indeed he himself felt most deeply 
his unfitness to continue Johnston's work, although he of 
course resolved to do his best. 

In response to the harsh criticisms made upon him for 
not fighting a decisive battle with Sherman, Johnston 
said : 

"Defeat would have been our ruin. Our troops, always 
fighting under cover, had trifling losses when compared 
with the enemy, whose numerical superiority was thus 
reduced daily and rapidly. We could, therefore, reason- 
ably expect to cope with him on equal terms by the time 
that the Chattahoochee was passed. Defeat on our side 
of that river would have been his destruction. We, if 
beaten, had a refuge in Atlanta too strong to be assaulted, 
too extensive to be invested. I also hoped, by breaking 
the railroad in his rear, that he might be compelled to 
attack us in a position of our own choosing, or to a retreat, 
easily converted into a rout. After we crossed the Etowah, 



ANOTHER VIEW OF PEACH TREE CREER. 33 1 

five detachments of cavalry were successively sent with 
instructions to destroy as much as they could of the rail- 
road between Dalton and the Etowah ; all failed, because 
too week. We could never spare a sufficient body of 
cavalry for this service, as its assistance was absolutely 
necessary in the defence of every position we occupied. 
Early in the campaign the statements of the strength of 
cavalry in the Departments of Mississippi and East 
Louisiana given me by Lieutenant-Gen^eral Polk, just from 
that command, and my telegraphic correspondence with 
his successor, led me to hope that a competent force could 
be sent from Mississippi and Alabama to prevent the use 
of the railroad by the United States army." 

The Rebel army was now about 51,000 strong, and was 
strongly posted at Peach Tree Creek, four miles north- 
west of Atlanta. The place had been selected by Johnston 
for a decisive battle, and he had expected that the Union 
Army, in spreading out to flank him, would weaken its 
centre so that he could make an effective attack. Exactly 
this thing occurred, and on the afternoon of July 20th, the 
Rebel blow was struck. Hood's troops came rushing down 
the hillside against the Union lines with just such fury as 
Stonewall Jackson's colums used to display. But they 
were met by strong resistance, and after a bloody conflict, 
were driven to their intrenchments. Thus the first of 
Johnston's plans which Hood tried to execute, failed. The 
second plan and effort was to withdraw the main army 
from Peach Tree Creek far to the right, leaving Atlanta 
almost undefended, and then fall upon Sherman's left 
flank as his army advanced upon the city. 

When Sherman came up and found the works on Peach 
Tree Creek abandoned, he thought Atlanta also had been 
evacuated, and he marched right up to within two miles of 



332 HOWARD SUCCEEDS APPHERSON. 

that city. Then after an all night circuit the Rebel 
attack was made upon his left and rear. For four hours 
the battle raged furiously. The Union lines were broken 
and some guns captured. Sherman watched the struggle 
from a point between Schofield and McPherson, John A. 
Logan and other officers performed prodigies of valor, and 
finally the Rebels were checked and driven back, leaving 
more than three thousand dead upon the field, together 
with other thousands of wounded and about one thousand 
prisoners. Their total loss must have been at least eight 
thousand, while Sherman's entire loss, in killed, wounded 
and prisoners, was 3,722. But in this battle almost in the 
outset the Union Army suffered an irreparable loss in the 
death of the gallant and accomplished McPherson, who 
was shot by Rebel skirmishers ?.z he was hastening from 
Dodge's Corps to Blair's through the woods, /. e., the left 
flank of the army, to meet there the Rebel attack which 
first struck his rear. 

Who should succeed McPherson in command was a 
question that caused some perplexity. Logan succeeding 
to McPherson in the battle had done well, but was junior 
to several corps comanders, and had, as Sherman thought, 
some other disabilities, as a rivalry between him and Blair, 
and political aspirations. At last Sherman and Thomas 
agreed upon the appointment of General O, O. Howard, a 
choice which was promptly approved by the Government 
at Washington. This offended Hooker, Howard's senior 
in rank. He had aspired to succeed McPherson, and so 
at once asked to be relieved of the command of the Twen- 
tieth Corps. His wish, as before Gettysburg, was granted, 
and General Slocum came from Vicksburg to take his place. 

The 26th of July Sherman's army lay before Atlanta in 
this position : the Army of the Tennessee was at the left, 



EZRA CHURCH. 333 

the Army of the Ohio, under Schofield, came next ; the 
Army of the Cumberland, under Thomas, completed the 
line at the right. This line was about five miles long, and 
strongly fortified. The cavalry and other minor detach- 
ments of the army were posted at the rear and at the flank. 

The 27th, General Howard took command and marched 
around beyond Thomas. At Ezra Church, due west from 
Atlanta, the next battle was fought on July 28th. How- 
ard, putting in his last corps, had led the way thither, be- 
lieving that at this point the Rebel attack would be made. 
Hood's men came on with a rush, and some of them forced 
their v/ay for a space beyond the Union right. But How- 
ard's troops, particularly the Fifteenth Corps, under Logan, 
aided by detatchments from Dodge and Blair, stood like an 
iron wall, and repulsed the enemy with a coolness and 
steadiness that has seldom been equalled. Artillery and 
repeating rifles threw back the enemy's flanks. Attack 
after attack was made by the Rebels, with the same result, 
and the engagement finally ended in an unqualified victory 
for the Union army. "As this," says General Howard, 
"was Hood's third attempt, anger and energy were en- 
gendered in his heart and transfused into his charging 
lines ; it showed itself in the scream, the yell, the run, the 
brisk, unceasing musket-fire, and the cannon roar. We 
who were there cannot forget them. But at last our enemy 
was effectually repulsed and the sad field at night was 
ours. The baffled Confederates again returned to the 
shelter of their protecting batteries." 

This was Howard's first engagement after his appoint- 
ment to succeed McPherson, and both he and Sherman 
were deeply gratified at its result. When the conflict was 
at its height, a straggler of some rank hurried to Sherman 
with the report that Howard was proving incompetent and 



334 FLANKING ATLANTA. 

that his army was going to pieces. Sherman asked him if 
Howard himself was at the scene of action. He replied, 
"Yes, I suppose so." "Well," said Sherman, "I will 
wait till I hear from him." 

During the early days of August Sherman kept extend- 
ing his lines to the right, with frequent demonstrations 
against the enemy at all points. He brought down from 
Chattanooga some heavy rifled guns with which to bom- 
bard the enemy's works. Many of the shells fell beyond 
the enemy's fortifications in the city itself, and did much 
damage. At the middle of the month it was decided to 
execute a grand flank movement around the city. The 
advance was made toward the right or southward. At the 
same time Hood sent a force of cavalry, from 6,000 
to 10,000 strong, to pass around Sherman's rear and cut 
off his cummunications and lines of supply. Sherman 
was glad to learn this, for he knew that the absence of 
these troops from the Rebel army would be a more serious 
loss to Hood than they could possibly inflict upon the 
Union army. He at once halted his flanking movement, 
and sent Kilpatrick with 5,000 cavalry to break the West 
Point Railroad near Fairburn, and then go on and break 
the Macon Railroad, cutting off Atlanta from the Southern 
counties. Kilpatrick was not able to accomplish this work 
as completely as Sherman desired, and the flanking move- 
ment was soon resumed. On the night of August 26th, 
the Army of the Tennessee moved to the South, followed 
by the Army of the Cumberland, while the Army of the 
Ohio remained substantially in its position. The armies 
thoroughly accomplished the destructive work which Kil- 
patrick had tried to do, and then faced eastward. Howard 
encountered the enemy's cavalry at several points, and 
drove it before him. " From the 25th to the 30th of 



THE AD VA NCE TO J ONE SB ORG. 335 

August," says General Howard, " Sherman's forces made a 
curious manoeuvre. If you should face a line of cavalry, in- 
fantry and artillery to the rear, and then make a little more 
than a half wheel about its new left as a pivot, you would 
get some idea of the manner in which we fell upon Hood's 
communications. Yet the line, like an Indian rubber 
string, was stretched out till the Army of the Tennessee, 
rapidly marching, reached Renfro Place, twenty-five miles 
from Atlanta. Schofield kept near the pivot, and Thomas 
was between, 

"The evening of the thirtieth, after a weary day during 
which our cavalry and infantry had been forcing a suc- 
cession of log barricades and repairing culverts and bridges, 
we came to a tract of barren sand-banks, intending to 
camp there for the night. After a short halt, I called Kil- 
patrick to me and said: 'It is but six miles to Flint River, 
where a bridge crosses, and but a few more miles to. Jones- 
boro, the railway station. Can you send me an officer 
who can take a squadron of cavalry and keep Wheeler's 
rear guard in motion.^ ' 'Yes, here is Captain Estes. He 
can do it if anybody can.' 'All right, go ahead, Estes ; I 
will follow you with infanty.' Wheeler's men, thinking 
we had stopped for the night, had already dismounted and 
were preparing to bivouac at a respectful distance, when 
suddenly they beheld Captain Estes with his indomitable 
squadron charging down the road. The Confederates 
sprang to their saddles and nobody tarried, neither pursuer 
or pusued, till the Flint River bridge had been reached. 
Our men extinguished the flames already kindled, saved 
the bridge, and soon were crossing in force, just as the 
twilight was darkening into the night. One corps, 
Logan's, was quickly marched over and along the farther 
bank of the river and began to ascend the wooded hill 



336 'JHE FALL OF ATLANTA. 

beyond. Hardee's Confederate Corps, hastily brought 
hither by rail from Atlanta, now gave in the darkness 
only a feeble skirmish line resistance. We charged the 
hill, cleared the way to the crest, and the men, though 
exceedingly weary with a long march of twenty-five miles 
or more, worked the whole night, so strong were they then 
to cover their front with the habitual intrenchments. 

"The next day, the thirty-first of August, Logan's and 
Ransom's men supported by Blair, received Hardee's 
renewal of the conflict. The charges were not as vigorous 
as at Atlanta. They were, all along the line, repulsed. 
Before the next day Thomas had closed in on my left ; 
had a combat, and the two together made a vigorous push 
for Jonesboro. By this movement Hardee's half of Hood's 
army was disloged. The instant the situation was known 
Hood, still 25 miles back at Atlanta, he abandoned the 
city and succeeded by a wonderful night march in forming 
a junction with Hardee below us at Lovejoy station. 

"Slocum, who with the Twentieth Corps being left 
behind, had intrenched himself in a strong fortified 
place across Sherman's northern communications, soon 
had positive evidence by the city fires and explosions, that 
Hood had left. He put his columns in motion at dawn of 
September second and marched joyously into the lately 
beleaguered city. 

" General Sherman, who was near us at Jonesboro, gives 
a graphic picture : that night, he says, he was so restless 
and impatient that he could not sleep. About midnight 
there arose, toward Atlanta, sounds of shells exploding 
and other sounds like that of musketry. He walked to 
the house of a farmer close by his bivouac, and called him 
out to listen. The farmer said, that these sounds were just 
like those of a battle. An interval of quiet then ensued. 



" A TLANTA IS WON / " 337 

when again, about 4 A, M., arose another similar explo- 
sion. Sherman remained in doubt whether the enemy was 
engaged in blowing up his own magazines, or whether Gene- 
ral Slocum had not felt forward and become engaged in a 
real battle. Finally a note from Slocum himself assured 
the anxious General of the facts. Then, as he turned 
back to take possession, Sherman sent Mr Lincoln that 
memorable despatch : 'Atlanta is ours and fairly won.' 

" Probably no words uttered at this date could give to 
our children an idea of the joy and the assurance of hope 
that penetrated all classes of society when the proclama- 
tion was made at Washington and echoed through the North 
and West, 'Atlanta is won.' It meant that our glorious 
cause had prevailed. Rebelhon, it is said, cannot last 
much longer. It spoke of the end of war, of the begin- 
ning of peace, glimpses of which were already seen from 
the hilltops of Georgia. It meant speedy emancipation to 
white men as well as to black. It spoke of happy homes 
soon to be visited, of lovely women and precious children 
who had long waited for such good news, and whose eyes 
were already sparkling with delight to welcome us 
home. 

" Yes, yes, 'Atlanta won ' was indeed a bow of promise 
set in the clouds, though yet heavy ; a bow of promise to 
America and to the world, that right and justice should 
prevail, and God's will be done sooner or later upon the 
earth " 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

PREPARING FOR THE MARCH. 

Congratulations and Rejoicings — Sherman's Address to his Army — 
Incidents of the Campaign — Appearance of Atlanta and its En- 
virons — Hood's Northward March — How Corse Held the Fort — 
Sherman's Stern Work at Atlanta — Exchange of Prisoners — 
Organizing for the March to the Sea — Sketches of Howard 
AND Slocum — Orders for the Campaign — Cutting off all Com- 
munication with the North — Atlanta in Ruins — Marching toward 
the Sea. 

Sherman and his command took possession of Atlanta 
with mingled emotions. There was much regret for the 
long line of graves of gallant men that marked the path 
from Chattanooga ; most of all, for that of the loved and 
trusted McPherson. Yet there was much exultation at 
the great victory won, which had struck the Confederacy 
a death blow and sent rejoicing to every loyal heart in all 
the Union. Congratulations poured in, Lincoln tele- 
graphed to Sherman : " The National thanks are rendered 
by the President to Major-General W. T. Sherman and the 
gallant officers and soldiers of his command before Atlanta, - 
for the distinguished ability and perseverance displayed in 
the campaign in Georgia, which, under Divine favor, has 
resulted in the capture of Atlanta, The marches, battles, 
sieges and other military operations, that have signalized 
the campaign, must render it famous in the annals of war, 
and have entitled those who have participated therein to 
338 



SHERMAN CONGRATULATES HIS TROOPS. 339 

the applause and thanks of the Nation." And Grant 
telegraphed from City Point : '• In honor of your great 
victory I have ordered a salute to be fired with shotted 
guns from every battery bearing upon the enemy. 
The salute will be fired within an hour, amid great 
rejoicing." 

These and other similar dispatches Sherman communi- 
cated to his army, together with the news of illuminations, 
flag-raisings, bell-ringings, mass-meetings and other scenes 
of rejoicing throughout the country. He also issued the 
following congratulatory order : 

"The officers and soldiers of the Armies of the Cumber- 
land, Ohio and Tennessee, have already received the 
thanks of the Nation through its President and Com- 
mander-in-Chief; and it now only remains with him who 
has been with you from the beginning, and who intends to 
stay all the time, to thank the officers and the men for 
their intelligence, fidelity and courage displaj^ed in the 
campaign of Atlanta. 

" On the first day of May our armies were lying in gar- 
rison, seemingly quiet, from Knoxvilleto Huntsville, and our 
enemy lay behind his rocky-faced barrier at Dalton, proud, 
defiant, and exulting. He had had time since Christmas 
to recover from his discomfiture on the Mission Ridge, 
with his ranks filled, and a new Commander-in-Chief, 
second to none of the Confederacy in reputation for skill, 
sagacity and extreme popularity. 

"All at once our armies assumed life and action, and 
appeared before Dalton ; threatening Rocky Face, we 
threw ourselves upon Resaca, and the Rebel army only 
escaped by the rapidity of its retreat, aided by the numerous 
roads with which he was familiar, and which were strange 
to us. 



340 THE ENEMY S MISTAKE. 

" Again he took post at Allatoona, but we gave him no 
rest, and by a circuit toward Dallas, and a subsequent 
movement to Ackworth, we gained the Allatoona Pass. 
Then followed the eventful battles about Kenesaw, and 
the escape of the enemy across the Chattahoochee River. 

"The crossing of the Chattahoochee, and breaking of 
the Augusta road, was most handsom.ely executed by us, 
and will be studied as an example in the art of war. At 
this stage of our game, our enemies became dissatisfied 
with their old ^nd skilful commander, and selected one 
more bold and rash. New tactics were adopted. Hood 
first boldly and rapidly, on the 20th of July, fell on our 
right at Peach Tree Creek, and lost. 

" Again, on the 22d, he struck our extreme left, and 
was severely punished ; and finally again, on the 28th he 
repeated the attempt on our right, and that time must have 
been satisfied, for since that date he has remained on the 
defensive. We slowly and gradually drew our lines about 
Atlanta, feeling for the railroads which supplied the Rebel 
army and made Atlanta a place of importance. 

" We must concede to our enemy that he met these 
efforts patiently and skilfully, but at last he made the 
mistake we had waited for so long, and sent his cavalry to 
our rear, far beyond the reach of recall. Instantly our 
cavalry was on his only remaining road, and we followed 
•quickly with our principal army, and Atlanta fell into our 
possession as the fruit of well-concerted measures, backed 
by a brave and confident army. 

" This completed the grand task which had been as- 
signed us by our Government, and your General again 
repeats his personal and official thanks to all the officers 
and men composing this army, for the indomitable courage 
and perseverance which alone could give success. 



A TRIBUTE TO THE FALLEN. 34 1 

" We have beaten our enemy on every ground he has 
chosen, and have wrested from him his own Gate City, 
where were located his foundries, arsenals and work-shops, 
deemed secure on account of their distance from our base, 
and the seeming impregnable obstacles intervening. 
Nothing is impossible to an army like this, determined 
to vindicate a Government which has rights wherever our 
flag has once floated, and is resolved to maintain them at 
any and all cost. 

"In our campaign many, yea, very many of our noble 
and gallant comrades have preceded us to our common 
destination, the grave ; but they have left the memory of 
deeds, on which a Nation can build a proud history. Mc- 
Pherson, Harker, McCook, and others, dear to us all are 
now the binding links in our minds that should attach 
more closely together the living, who have to complete the 
task which still lays before us in the dim future. 

" I ask all to continue as they have so well begun, the 
cultivation of the soldierly virtues that have ennobled our 
own and other countries. Courage, patience, obedience to 
the laws and constituted authorities of our Government ; 
fidelity to our trusts, and good feeling among each other; 
each trying to excel the other in the practice of those 
high qualities, and it will then require no prophet to foretell 
that our country will in time emerge from this war, purified 
by the fires of war and worthy its great founder, Washing- 
ton." 

Sherman had, on August I2tk, been made a Major- 
General in the Regular Army. 

It was pos.iible now and even after to recall many dra- 
matic and even humorous incidents of the campaign. At 
one point Sherman's soldiers, looking back, saw a line of 
bridges in flames over a stream they had just crossed. 



342 INCIDENTS OF THE CAMPAIGN. 

" Hello, Charley," exclaimed one, " Uncle Billy Sherman 
has set the river on fire." "Well," replied Charley, "if he 
has I reckon its all right." Their fun, even, showed their 
confidence. 

The Rebels also came to have a remarkable degree of 
confidence in Sherman's ability. The rapidity of his 
marches and the readiness with which his armies rebuilt 
roads and bridges bewildered them. It was after a time a 
current saying in the Rebel camp that there was no use 
in burning bridges, for Sherman carried a large assortment 
of duplicates along with him to replace them. Then, when 
Wheeler's Cavalry was sent north to cut Sherman's com- 
munications at the rear, a Rebel soldier remarked one day : 
" Well, the Yanks will have to git up and git, now, for I 
heard General Johnston himself say that General Wheeler 
had blown up the tunnel near Dalton and the Yanks would 
have to retreat because they could get no more rations." 
"Oh shucks," said another, "don't you know that old 
Sherman carries a duplicate tunnel along .? " 

On September 6th, a writer in The New York Tribinie, 
described the appearance of the captured city, at the en- 
trance of the troops, as follows : 

" The Twentieth Corps is now located in the famous 
city, occupying the forts and earthworks so recently filled 
by the Rebels. The city was captured by Colonel Coburn, 
Thirty-third Indiana, on the 2d inst., who was sent by 
General Slocum from the Chattachoochee River on a re- 
connoisance. The same day the corps followed in. The 
works of the enemy are of the most formidable character, 
embracing a circuit of some twelve miles. The abattis, 
palisades, rifle pits, ramparts, lunettes, reboubts, redans 
and varied forms of earthworks, exhibit every variety of 
defensive expedient used in modern warfare. Nothing in 



PLAN OF ATLANTA. 345 

military experience has surpassed the industry of the 
enemy, in this campaign, except that of our own. Here, 
he had some 1,500 negro men constantly at work, and 
marched them off, with tools on shoulder, when he left. 
The hills at all points around the city afforded good posi- 
tions for such works. 

" This is a peculiar city, with streets diverging from the 
centre and running out upon ridges while the intervening 
spaces are not built upon, just as if the map were a wagon- 
wheel and the business were near and around the hub and 
the residences were built along the spokes to the outer 
rim. Many of these residences are elegant and conven- 
ient, with large lots and fine shrubbery. The native growth 
is a mixture of small oak and pine, while the hand of cul- 
ture has interspersed the China tree. Grape, Myrtle, Rose, 
Laurel, Holly, Honey-suckle, Sensitive plant, and a multi- 
tude of beautiful shrubs, full of odors and rich colors. 
Indeed, nothing can exceed the beauty of the plants and 
trees of this region. 

"The city has contained a population of eighteen thou- 
sand inhabitants (about six thousand are here now^, and 
on account of the salubrity of the climate and purity of its 
waters, it being on the dividing ridge between the Gulf 
and the Atlantic, has become a place of residence to many 
wealthy persons. 

"Here figs are now ripe and hanging on the trees, this 
being the second crop. Grapes grow in abundance, and 
wine is made of a delicious flavor. 

"The houses are, many of them, disfigured with marks 

of our shot, splintered cornices and doorways — shattered 

roofs and chimneys, perforated walls and torn fences show 

the frightful look of these swift messengers whirling night 

and day over the doomed place. Many a tenement has its 
20 



34^ THE MARKS OF WAR. 

underground retreat ; some are lined with cotton bales, 
some with timbers, and some banked around with earth. 

" When the enemy's troops were about to leave they set 
fire to immense trains of cars and wagons, loaded with 
army stores and ammunition. More than a hundred cars 
were burned at the Augusta depot, shell, torpedoes, fire- 
balls, and boxes of ammunition popping, blazing and roar- 
ing, shook the city and were heard plainly by us at the 
river. When Colonel Coburn entered the cit}^ they were 
exploding in the forts, and sounded like the continual dis- 
charge of artillery. 

"What machinery had not been removed has been de- 
stroyed. The great rolling mill has been taken to Augusta, 
and it is said, will be taken to Deep River, North Carolina, 
and put up. Our position here cuts the enemy off from 
his greatest iron works in Northern Georgia. There are 
some of considerable extent yet used by them near Selma, 
Alabama. We see fire brick here which are made near 
Augusta, the bed of clay having been discovered since the 
war ; before that time they were procured in the North. 
We see also in the ruins of the rolling mill a quantity of 
gunboat iron five inches thick, ready rolled for plating. 

"The surrounding county is hilly and poor. South of 
this the water is not good, and the land is much lower and 
richer. To the east, about fifteen miles, is Stone Mountain, 
a grand elevation of more than two thousand feet, afford- 
ing a prospect of unequalled extent and beauty. 

" It is a solitary sugar-loaf, and looms up from the hori- 
zon gray and grand. Northwest, some eight miles, is the 
Chattahoochee River, a yellow, muddy and swift-running 
stream, some two hundred yards wide. Chattahoochee 
means ' blossoming rocks.' The Cherokees so named it 
from a great ledge of beautifully-colored rock on its banks. 



DISPOSITION OF THE ARMY. 347 

which resembles flowers. The river of ' blossoming rocks ' 
is anything but a beautiful stream. Peach Tree Creek, 
the now famous scene of the battle of the 20th of July, is 
three miles north, a muddy, deep slimy stream. Its true 
name is ' Pitch-Tree,' from a great pitch-pine tree on its 
banks. The Indians called it 'Pitch-Tree.' 

" The whole face of the earth is marked and scared for 
many miles around with the rival fortifications." 

A quarter of a century has nearly obliterated them all. 

A series of military operations around Atlanta followed. 
Further pursuit of Hood's army was for a time suspended 
while Sherman's army rested, and its leader was planning 
the next step in the campaign. Thus passed the month of 
September. Many changes occurred in the composition 
and organization of the army. The field portion of the 
Army of the Tennessee was consolidated into two corps 
numbered Fifteenth and Seventeenth, and commanded, 
during the temporary absence of Logan and Blair, by P. J. 
Osterhaus and T. E. G. Ransom, General Howard retaining 
his place at the head of that army which now lay at East 
Point, and the Sixteenth corps now in the Mississippi Val- 
ley. The Army of the Cumberland, under General 
Thomas, was in Atlanta. The Army of the Ohio was 
at Decatur under General Cox, General Schofield having 
returned temporarily to Knoxville. Atlanta was carefully 
fortified, on a smaller but stronger scale than had been done 
by Johnston, so that it might be held by a comparatively 
small force when Sherman's main army had left. 

As for the Rebel army, it changed its tactics altogether, 
and was soon moving westward and northward. Ap- 
parently Hood's intention was by, as he said, towing him 
back, to cut Sherman's communications, and if possible 
carry the war back into Tennessee. If Hood would only 



348 HOOD'S NOR THWARD MARCH. 

march back to Tennessee, Sherman would gladly give him 
rations and transportation for the journey. Hood did 
march back, and the result of his doing so may be summed 
up at this point in a few words. He tried to destroy the gar- 
risons Sherman had left behind him here and there, but 
Sherman turned on him all but Slocum's Corps, so that he ut- 
terly failed to do so. French's Division of the Rebel army, 
for example, attacked Allatoona, where Howard had placed a 
handful of troops. General Corse hastened with help 
from Rome. French sent in a note to Corse, summoning 
him to surrender, and threatening that if he did not do so 
he would be attacked, and every man of his command 
massacred. To this monstrous message the undaunted 
Corse defiantly replied that the Rebels were welcome to 
come and take the place if they thought they were 
able. French immediately assaulted the place with great 
fury, and agam and again his overwhelming columns surged 
against the works. But at nightfall they were compelled 
to retire with dreadful loss. Next morning Sher- 
man reached the top cf Kenesaw, to within signalling 
distanceof Corse, eighteen miles away. Signal flags waved 
from peak to peak, conveying Sherman's message to Corse, 
which has been idealized in a popular song, " Hold the 
fort, for I am coming." Corse's reply has become historic. 
He had had a chip from his cheek shot away by a Rebel 
ball, but was only the more determined to hold out. He 
said to Sherman, " I am short part of an ear and cheek- 
bone, but am able to whip all hell } et ! " 

During October, Hood moved to the northwest, Howard 
following him up vigorously. At last, at the end of the 
month, as he ran toward Gaylesville, Ala , Sherman de- 
cided to let Hood go, trusting to Schoficld and Thomas, 
whom he sent with troops to Nashville, to deal with him, 



STERN ORDERS A TA TLANTA. 349 

should he enter Tennessee. He did enter Tennessee, and 
met his fate at Franklin and Nashville. 

But to return to Sherman's work at Atlanta, before 
Hood's flanking and final flight. Sherman determined to 
march forward through Georgia to the sea, and to make At- 
lanta, as he left it behind him, a purely military post, occu- 
pied and controlled solely by his army. On September 
4th he made this order : 

•' The City of Atlanta, belonging exclusively for warlike 
purposes, it will at once be vacated by all except the 
armies of the United States and such civilian employes as 
may be retained by the proper departments of the Govern- 
ment. . . . At a proper time full arrangements will be 
made for a supply to the troops of all the articles they may 
need over and above clothing, provisions, etc., furnished 
by Government, and on no pretence whatever will traders, 
manufacturers, or sutlers, be allowed to settle in the limits 
of fortified places ; and if they manage to come in spite of 
this notice the quartermaster will seize their stores, apply 
them to the use of the troops and deliver the parties, or 
other unauthorized citizens who thus place their individual 
interest abo^^e that of the United States, over to the hands 
of some provost-marshal, to be put to labor on forts or con- 
scripted into one of the regiments or battery already in 
service. The same military principles will apply to all mili- 
tary posts south of Atlanta." 

If the people of Atlanta had already become panic 
stricken, what shall be said of their state of mind when 
this thunderbolt fell upon them } Consternation is far too 
weak a word. The Mayor and City Council made a formal 
and impassioned appeal to Sherman to revoke it. They 
said, in part; 



3 5 O THE MA YOR' S PROTEST. 

"At first view, it struck us that the measure would in- 
volve extraordinary hardship and loss, but since we have 
seen the practical execution of it, so far as it had pro- 
gressed, and the individual condition of many people, and 
heard their statements as to the inconveniences, loss, and 
suffering attending it, we are satisfied that it will involve, 
in the aggregate, consequences appalling and heartrend- 
ing. 

" We know your mind and time are constantly occupied 
with the duties of your command, which almost deters us 
from asking your attention to this matter ; but thought it 
might be that you had not considered the subject in all its 
awful consequences, and that on more reflection you, we 
hope, would not make this people an exception to all man- 
kind, for we know of no such instance ever having occurred ; 
surely none such in the United States ; and what has this 
helpless people done that they should be driven from their 
homes, to wander as strangers, outcasts, and exiles, and to 
subsist on charity?" 

To this Sherman replied at considerable length, in ex- 
plicit and unmistakable terms. He had, he said, read their 
appeal carefully and he gave full credit to their statements 
of the distress that was about to be caused to the people of 
Atlanta. But there were greater issues involved than the 
personal comfort and welfare of these people. He said : 

" I cannot revoke my order. I have to prepare for 
a future struggle in which millions, yea, hundreds of 
good people outside of Atlanta have a deep interest. 
We must have peace, not only in Atlanta, but in all 
America. To have peace, the Rebel armies must be de- 
feated. To defeat them, we must reach them in their 
recesses. My military plans make it necessary for the in- 
habitants to go away, and I can only renew my offer of 



THE REALITIES OF WAR. 35 I 

services to make their exodus in any direction as easy and 
comfortable as possible. 

" War is cru.clty, and you cannot refine it. Those who 
brought war on our country deserve all the curses and 
maledictions a people can pour out. I had no hand 
in making this war, and I will make more sacrifices 
to-day than any of you to secure peace. But you cannot 
have peace and a division of our country. We don't want 
your negroes, or your houses, or your land, or anything that 
you have, but we do want, and will have, a just obedience 
to the laws of the United States. That we will have, and 
if it involves the destruction of your miprovements we can- 
not help it. 

"You have heretofore read public sentiment in your 
newspapers. They live by falsehood and excitement, and 
the quicker you seek for truth in other quarters the better 
for you. You began this war without one jot or tittle of 
provocation. I myself have seen in Missouri, Kentucky, 
Tennessee, and Mississippi hundreds and thousands of 
women and children fleeing from your own armies and 
desperadoes, hungry and with bleeding feet. In Memphis, 
Vicksburg, and Mississippi we fed thousands upon thou- 
sands of the families of Rebel soldiers, left on our hands, 
and whom we could not see starve. Now that war conies 
home to you, you feel very differently — you deprecate its 
horrors. But you did not feel them when you were send- 
ing car-loads of ^-soldiers and ammunition, and were mould- 
ing shells and shot to carry war into Kentucky and 
Tennessee, and desolate the homes of hundreds and 
thousands of good people who only asked to live in peace at 
their old homes under the government of their inheritance. 

" But, when peace does come, you may call upon me for 
anything. Then I will share with you the last cracker, 



352 CORRESPONDENCE WITH HOOD. 

and watch with you to guard your homes and families 
against danger from every quarter. Now you must go, and 
take with you the old and feeble, feed and nurse them, and 
build for them in more quiet places proper habitations to 
shield them against the weather until the mad passions of 
men cool down, and allow the Union and Peace once more 
to settle on your old homes in Atlanta." 

Sherman also had some correspondence with Hood on 
the same subject, lie notified Hood of the order he had 
issued and proposed that hostilities be suspended fur ten 
days while the people of Atlanta were being removed. 
Hood agreed to the truce, saying that he did not consider 
that he had any alternative in the matter. But he took 
occasion of this correspondence to denounce Sherman's 
conduct in the strongest terms, concluding his letter as 
follows : 

" Permit me to say, the unprecedented measure you 
propose transcends in studied and iniquitous cruelty all 
acts ever before brought to my attention in this dark 
history of the war. In the name of God and humanity, I 
protest, believing you are expelling from homes and fire- 
sides wives and children of a brave people." 

Sherman read these words with some irritation and with 
some contempt, and then promptly replied, saying: 

" You style the measures proposed 'unprecedented,' and 
appeal to ' the dark history of war for a parallel as an act 
of studied and ingenious cruelty.' It is not unprecedented, 
for General Johnston himself very wisely and properly re- 
moved the families all the way from Dalton down, and I 
see no reason why Atlanta should be excepted. Nor is it 
necessary to appeal to ' the dark history of war,' when re- 
cent and modern examples are so handy. You yourself 
burned dwelling-houses along your parapet ; and I have 



ARRAIGNMENT OF THE REBELS. 353 

seen, to-day, fifty nouses that you have rendered unin- 
habitable because they stood in the way of your forts and 
men. You defended Atlanta on a Hne so close to the 
town that every cannon-shot, and many musket-shots from 
our line of investment, that overshot their mark, went 
into the habitations of women and children. General 
Hardee did the same thing at Jonesboro' and General 
Johnston did the same last summer at Jackson, Missis- 
sippi. 

" I have not accused you of heartless cruelty, but merely 
instance these cases of very recent occurrence, and could 
go on and enumerate hundreds of others, and challenge 
any fair man to judge which of us has the heart of pity 
for the families of 'brave people.' I say it is kindness to 
these families of Atlanta to remove them at once from 
scenes that women and children should not be exposed to ; 
and the ' brave people ' should scorn to commit their wives 
and children to the rude barbarians who thus, as you say 
violate the rules of war as illustrated in the pages of its 
'dark history.' 

"In the name of common sense. Task you not to 'appeal 
to a just God ' in such a sacrilegious manner — you who, in 
the midst of peace and prosperity, have plunged a nation 
into war, dark and cruel war; who dared and badgered us 
into battle; insulted our flag ,• seized our arsenals and forts 
that were left in the honorable custody of a peaceful ordi- 
nance sergeant ; seized and made prisoners even the very 
first garrisons sent to protect your people against negroes 
and Indians ; long before any other act was committed by 
the, to you 'ha'cful Lincoln Government;' tried to force 
Missouri and Kentucky into rebellion, in spite of them- 
selves ; falsified the vote of Louisiana ; turned loose )"our 
privateers to plunder unarmed ships ; expelled Union 



354 EXCHANGE OF PRISONERS. 

families by the thousands, burned their houses, and de- 
clared by acts of your Congress the confiscation of all 
debts due Northern men for goods had and received. Talk 
thus to the Marines, but not to me, who have seen these 
things, and who will this day make as much sacrifices for 
the peace and honor of the South as the best-born South- 
erner among you. If we must be enemies, let us be men, 
and fight it out as we proposed to-day, and not deal in 
such hypocritical appeals to God and humanity. 

"God will judge us in due time, and he will pronounce 
whether it will be humane to fight with a town full of 
women and the families of ' a brave people ' at our back, or 
to remove them in time to places of safety among their 
own friends and people." 

There was also some correspondence between the two 
Generals on the subject of the exchange of prisoners. 
Hood began it, and Sherman replied, consenting to such an 
exchange, man for man, and equal for equal, and then added : 

"By your laws all men eligible for service are ipso facto 
soldiers, and a very good one it is ; and, if needed for civil 
duty, they are simply <letailed soldiers. We found in 
Atlanta about a thousand of these fellows, and I am satis- 
fied they are fit subjects of exchange; and if you will 
release an equal number of our poor fellows at Anderson- 
ville I will gather these together and send them as 
prisoners. They seem to have been detailed for railroad 
and shop duty, and I do not ask for them an equal 
number of my trained soldiers, but will take men belong- 
ing to any part of the United States Army subject to 
your control. 

"We hold a good many of your men styled 'deserters,' 
who are really stragglers, and would be a good offset to 
such of our stragglers and foragers as your cavalry picked 



HOOD'S PROTEST. 355 

up of our men; but I am constrained to give these men, 
though sorely against the grain, the benefit of their 
character, pretended or real." 

This did not suit Hood, who replied : 

" Your refusal to receive, in exchange, your soldiers 
belonging to 'regiments whose times are out, and who have 
been discharged,' discloses a fixed purpose on the part of 
your Government to doom to hopeless captivity those 
prisoners whose term of service have expired, or will soon 
expire. 

" My offer to exchange the prisoners captured during 
the campaign precludes an intention on my part in the de- 
livery to discriminate between your prisoners, as all would 
have been delivered ; and even had it been intended, this 
discrimination between your men, whose term of service 
had and had not expired, would have been impossible, and 
could not have been effected, as I had no reliable means 
of ascertaining what portion of your men were entitled to 
their discharge. 

" Your avowal that this class of your soldiers will not be 
exchanged, but will be rewarded by the sufferings and pri- 
vations incident to military imprisonment because their 
boldness and courage subjected them to capture, although 
their terms of service has nearly expired, is deeply regreted 
by me, as I have the earnest desire of my Government to 
release from prolonged confinement the large number of 
prisoners held by both parties." 

An exchange of about two thousand prisoners was, how- 
ever effected. During the truce, four hundred and forty- 
six families were sent South. These comprised 705 adults, 
860 children, and 79 servants, and each family took on the 
average, 165 1 pounds of furniture and other personal 
effects. 



356 READY FOR THE MARCH. 

At the end of October, Sherman was ready to continue 
his campaign. He had corresponded with Grant on the 
subject and had intimated to him what he proposed to do. 
Grant replied to him, on November 2d, "Go on, then, as 
you propose." Thus the credit of the historic march that 
followed must be given to Sherman himself,— the concep- 
tion of it as well as its execution. "The honor is all 
yours," said Lincoln afterward; "none of us went further 
than to aquiesce." 

But Sherman had not stated positively, not even to 
Grant, what his objective point was, whether Charleston or 
Savannah, or even Pensacoh. He proposed to march from 
Atlanta to the sea ; that was all. What road he would 
follow, he would decide for himself and he would keep his 
own counsel. And in order to isolate Atlanta and render 
it useless to the enemy and that there might be no inter- 
ference with his plans as he proceeded, he performed the 
unique act of destroying utterly the railways and telegraph 
by which he had communicated with the North. When 
everything was ready, and the final messages transmitted 
between himself and Grant, he cut the last remaining wire, 
and thence forward for a time, was lost to the Nation's 
view. His conquering host became known as "the lost 
army." This was on November 12th. On the 14th his 
army was ready for the march, and on the 15th the drums 
beat and they moved forward. 

Acting under the grim necessities of war, Sherman sent 
this order to Captain Poe : " You may commence the work 
of destruction at once, but don't use fire until towards the 
last moment." Thus much of the City of Atlanta was 
destroyed, and it was past smoking ruins that Sherman's 
army marched forward to the sea. 



GENERAL HOWARD. 357 

The army was divided, for the purposes of this march, 
into two great wings. The right, keeping its army name, 
was commanded by General Howard, and consisted of the 
Fifteenth Corps, under Osterhaus, and the Seventeenth 
Corps, under Blair, The left, called Army of Georgia, 
was commanded by General Slocum, and consisted of the 
Fourteenth Corps, under J. C. Davis, and the Twentieth 
Corps, under A. S. Williams. In all there were about 
60,000 infantry and 60 cannon. In addition, there was a 
cavalry division of 5.500 men, under General Kilpatrick. 

General Howard was now 34 years old ; a native of 
Maine, and a graduate of West Point in the class of 1854. 
He had served in Florida against the Indians, and as an 
instructor at West Point. He had joined the arm.y again 
as Colonel of the first three years' regiment that came 
from Maine ; had commanded a brigade at Bull Run and 
served with the Army of the Potomac until the battle of 
Fair Oaks, where he had lost his right arm while leading 
a gallant charge. Two months later, he had returned to 
active service in time to be at the second battle of Ball 
Run, where he commanded the rear guard on the retreat. 
He had rendered distinguished service at Antietam and 
Fredericksburg, and also at Chancellorsville. He had been 
one of the chief actors at Gettysburg, being responsible 
for the selection of the invincible position at Cemetery 
Ridge occupied by the Union Army. His gallantry at 
Missionary Ridge has already been recorded in these 
pages, and he had also marched with Sherman to the relief 
of Burnside at Knoxville. His Christian character and 
his intellectual attainments made him as acceptable as a 
man as he was as a brave and skilful General. 

General Slocum, a native of New York State, had been 
graduated at West Point two years before Howard. After 



358 GENERAL KILPATRICK. 

some military service he had become a practicing lawyer 
and active in the politics of his State. At the outbreak 
of the war he had returned to the army as Colonel of one 
of the first three years' regiments sent from New York. 
He had se^-ved with honor at Bull Run and with the Army 
of the Potomac on the Rappahannock and at Yorktown 
and all through the Peninsula campaign from West Point, 
Va., to Malvern Hill, He had won great distinction at 
South Mountain and Antietam, at Fredericksburg, Chan- 
cellorsville and Gettysburg. He and Howard were trusted 
lieutenants of Sherman in the great campaign that was 
now to be undertaken. 

Kilpatrick came from New Jersey, and was only 26 years 
old. He had been graduated at West Point in 1861, just 
in time to rush to the front with Duryeas's Zouaves, and 
received a slight wound at Big Bethel. Then he received 
a cavalry command and pursued a brilliant career with the 
Army of the Potomac, until he was sent to assist Sherman 
in Georgia. 

General Thomas was now at Nashville, and Schofield 
en route near Pulaski, Tennessee, ready to deal with Hood 
on his northwestern march. In Sherman's army there were 
few non-combatants and sick men. There was a goodly 
supply of ammunition, but provisions were scanty. It was 
the intention of the army to live off the enemy's country 
as they marched through it. Sherman's orders for the 
campaign were as follows : 

" I. For the purpose of military operations, this army is 
divided into two wings, viz., the right wing. Major General 
O. O. Howard commanding, composed of the Fifteenth 
and Seventeenth Corps ; the left wing. Major General H. 
W. Slocum commanding, composed of the Fourteenth and 
Twentieth Corps. 



ORDERS FOR THE MARCH. . 359 

"II. The habitual order of march will be, whenever 
practicable, by four roads, as nearly parallel as possible, 
and converging at points hereafter to be indicated in orders. 
The cavalry, Brigadier-General Kilpatrick commanding, 
will receive special orders from the commander-in-chief. 

"Ill, There will be no general trains of supplies, but 
each corps will have its ammunition and provision trains 
distributed habitually as follows : Behind each regiment 
should follow one wagon and one ambulance ; behind each 
brigade should follow a due proportion of ammunition 
wagons, provision wagons, and ambulances. In case of 
danger, each army corps commander should change this 
order of march by having his advance and rear brigade 
unencumbered by wheels. The separate columns will 
start habitually at 7 A. M., and make about 15 miles 
per day, unless otherwise fixed in orders. 

" IV. The army will forage liberally on the country 
during the march. To this end, each brigade commander 
will organize a good and sufficient foraging party, under 
the command of one or more discreet officers, who will 
gather near the route travelled corn or forage of any kind, 
meat of any kind, vegetables, corn-meal, or whatever is 
needed by the command, aiming at all times to keep in the 
wagon trains at least ten days' provisions for the command, 
and three days' forage. Soldiers must not enter the dwell- 
ings of the inhabitants, or commit any trespass; but dur- 
ing the halt, or at camp, they may be permitted to gather 
turnips, potatoes, and other vegetables, and drive in stock 
which is in sight of their camp. To regular foraging 
parties must be intrusted the gathering of provisions and 
forage at any distance from the road travelled. 



360 APPROPRIATING GOODS. 

"V. To army commanders alone is intrusted the power 
to destroy mills, houses, cotton-gins, etc., and for thern 
this general principle is laid down : In districts and 
neighborhoods where the army is unmolested, no destruc- 
tion of such property should be permitted ; but should 
guerrillas or bushwhackers molest our march, or should 
the inhabitants burn bridges, obstruct roads, or otherwise 
manifest local hostility, then army corps commanders 
should order and enforce a devastation more or less relent- 
less, according to the measure of such hostility. 

"VI. As for horses, mules, wagons, etc., belonging to 
the inhabitants, the cavalry and artillery may appropriate 
freely and without limit, discriminating, however, between 
the rich, who are usually hostile, and the poor or indus- 
trious, who are usually neutral or friendly. Foraging 
parties may also take mules or horses to replace the jaded 
animals of their trains, or to serve as pack-mules for the 
regiments or brigades. In all foraging, of whatever kind, 
the parties engaged will refrain from abusive or threaten- 
ing languages, and may, when the officer in command 
thinks proper, give written certificates of the facts, but no 
receipts, and they will endeavor to leave with each family 
a reasonable portion for their maintenance. 

"VII. Negroes who are able-bodied, and can be of 
service to the several columns, may be taken along, but 
each army commander will bear in mind that the ques- 
tion of supplies is a very important one, and that his 
first duty is to see to those who bear arms. 

"VIII. The organization at once of a good pioneer 
battalion for each corps, composed, if possible, of negroes^ 
should be attended to. This battalion should follow the 



SETTING OUT FOR THE SEA. 363 

advance guard, should repair roads, and double them if 
possible, so that the columns may not be delayed on 
reaching bad places. Also, army commanders should 
study the habit of giving the artillery and wagons the 
road, and marching their troops on one side, and also in- 
struct their troops to assist wagons at steep hills or bad 
crossings of streams. 

"IX. Captain O. M. Poe, chief engineer, will assign 
to each wing of the army a pontoon train, fully equipped 
and organized, and the commanders thereof will sec to 
Its being properly protected at all times." 

On November 12th, at Cartersville, Sherman sat on 
the edge of a porch to rest. The telegraph wire had 
been torn down, but the operator connected the end of 
it with a small pocket instrument which he held in his 
hand as he stood at Sherman's side. A dispatch was 
received from Thomas at Nashville. Sherman answered 
it, "All right." The wire was detached from the instru- 
ment, and then a burning bridge fell in ruins, dragging 
down more of the line, and Sherman was absolutely 
isolated from the North. 

As they marched away from Atlanta, Slocum's men 
passed the very spot where McPherson fell, and at the 
moment, doubtless with a grim satisfaction, looked back 
at the pall of smoke that hung above Atlanta, as above 
a fitting funeral pyre for their dead comrade and leader. 
Then some one in the ranks, or one of the bands, struck 
up " John Brown's Body," and a minute later the Army 
of Georgia was singing that famous battle hymn, and 
marching forward with quickened pace to its inspiring 
strains. 

21 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

"MARCHING THROUGH GEORGIA." 

The " Lost Army " — Speculations, North and South, as to its 
Doings — Diary of an Officer — Keeping Thanksgiving Day — 
Howell Cobb's Plantation — The Negroes — A Quaint Philoso- 
pher — Strategy of the March — Howard's Brilliant Advance — 
Investment of Savannah — Capture of Fort McAllister — Fall of 
Savannah. 

Volumes might be written about the march from Atlanta 
to the sea. It abounded in picturesque and dramatic inci- 
dents, and in pathetic scenes as well. Of real fighting 
there was scarcely any. There were no Rebel armies left 
to oppose Sherman's progress. The negroes welcomed 
the Union Army with fervent exultation, and the few loyal 
whites hailed its advent as a time of deliverance. The 
soldiers fared reasonably well. It was harvest time in the 
richest State of the South, and provisions were abundant 
on Sherman's line. There was no wanton pillaging, but 
foraging for the actual needs of the army was conducted 
on a generous scale. Grain, vegetables, bacon, fresh meat, 
poultry and all other supplies were taken from barns and 
houses. There were few conflicts between the army and the 
people. Now and then resistance would be offered to a 
forao-ino- party, but with no serious effect. Occasionally, 
some soldiers would become disorderly and commit acts of 
violence and pillage , but such breaches of* order were 
364 



REBEL RUMORS, 365 

Sternly repressed and punished whenever knowledge of 
them came to the ears of the higher officers. 

So they marched on through the glorious Indian summer, 
more as if on a holiday picnic than on an errand of actual 
war. Meantime the North was wondering where they 
were. The only information of their movements came 
throught Rebel sources, which were generally either ill- 
informed or untruthful. The Rebel authorities, indeed, were 
much mystified as to Sherman's real purpose. Their un- 
certainty is shown by the following extract from the 
columns of TJie Richmond Dispatch of November i8th, 
only a few days after the start: 

"The only official information received by the press 
yesterday was that Sherman had destroyed the North- 
western and Atlantic railroad from Atlanta to Allatoona, the 
Chattahoochee bridge included. This movement is diffi- 
cult to understand, except as explained by unofficial re- 
ports that were in circulation during yesterday. If they 
be true, the destruction of the railroad can be understood, 
though it will still appear a superfluous labor. The reports 
had it that Sherman, having burned Atlanta on the 15th, 
last Tuesday, had set out for Macon with three corps, 
amounting together to thirty-five thousand men, and that 
he had, on yesterday, reached Jonesborough, twenty-two 
miles south of Atlanta. If there is truth in these accounts, 
as we believe there is, Wheeler has much to answer for. 
It devolved upon him to watch Sherman and keep posted 
as to his movements. Only four days ago he reported him 
'moving toward Bridgeport.' Now it is said, he reports 
him moving toward Macon, as above stated. We regret 
to say this latter report is corroborated by other evidence, 

" Sherman will, we think, meet with opposition he does 
not calculate upon before he reaches the fortifications of 



366 SPECULATING ON THE RESULT. 

Macon. These works, should he ever reach them, he will 
find of the most formidable character, and with the troops 
that before that time will be collected in them, they must 
give him a vast deal more trouble than he evidently counts 
upon. If the Georgians will battle for their trenches as 
the Petersburg Militia did last June for theirs, or the Rich- 
mond Militia did at Staunton River bridge later in the 
summer, Macon will be saved. 

" In undertaking this expedition, Sherman is too prudent 
a man to rely upon subsisting his army on the country. 
It becomes interesting and important to consider what 
point he calculates upon making his base of supplies. 
His destruction of the railroad northwest of Atlanta 
proves that he has cut loose from the Chattanooga base. 
He must, then, be looking to some point on the Atlantic or 
the Gulf. We are disposed, for several reasons, to believe 
that Pensacola is the selected point ; this, not because of 
its greater proximity than any other post to his present 
field of operations, but because it is ascertained that for 
more than a month very large supplies have been accum- 
ulated there. If he fail to take Macon at the first dash, 
he will probably run for Pensacola, and make it a new 
base of operations. It is not to be presumed that he 
carries with him supplies sufficient to enable him to enter 
upon a siege which shall occupy any considerable length 
of time. 

"We have ventured the opinion that Sherman had Pen- 
sacola in view as a new base of supplies ; but it is proper 
to say there are reasons why he might select some point 
on the Atlantic as being nearer at hand. Savannah, for 
instance, offers advantages, did its approach not involve 
the certainty of a great deal of heavy fighting. 



REBEL HOPES. 367 

"We look with intense interest to full and authentic 
news from Georgia." 

The following appeared in The Richmond Whig of the 
same date : 

" It was officially reported at the War Department last 
night that Sherman has torn up the railroad track between 
Atlanta and Allatoona, and has burnt the bridge over the 
Chattahoochee. We also have unofficial information that 
a part of Sherman's army, at last accounts, had reached 
Jonesborough, thirty miles south of Atlanta. A more ex- 
travagant and even more untrustworthy rumor advanced 
him to Selma. Another rumor, which we chronicle as the 
'latest,' was, that he was advancing on Macon. While he 
can't possibly go to both places at the same time, we have 
a strong hope that, in a fit of desperation, he will essay a 
movement southward. The sequel will but develop that 
the evil one does not always protect his own." 

The right wing, the Army of the Tennesee, did march 
on Macon, then turned to the left to fight the battle of 
Griswoldville. 

The outlook entertained at the North was expressed by 
a wise editorial in TJie Cincinnati Gazette, as follows: 

" From private advices, both by letter and telegraph, we 
learn that Sherman is advancing from Atlanta toward 
Savannah River in two columns. The first set out, one 
account says, the 7th, another the 9th inst. (probably the 
last date), on the road to Macon. On the 13th or 14th 
inst., it was seventy miles in advance, driving everything 
before it, and destroying everything behind that could aid 
the enemy, and intending to pursue this policy to the end. 
The other column, we understand, set out three or four 
days later, and undoubtedly intended to unite with the 
other at a suitable point. The army is stated in some ac- 



368 NO OPPOSITION FEARED. ' 

counts at 45,000, and in others at 55,000, a large portion 
being cavalry under Kilpatrick. The largest estimate is 
probable, the army being composed of four corps, and 
largely reinforced. 

"Sherman took with him rations for many days, but ex- 
pected to find ample provisions on the route. Corn and 
sweet potatoes he will find in abundance and probably 
hogs. 

"Such is our information from several sources; but at 
the same time it should be recollected that a general, at 
the head of a movable army in the field, must act accord- 
ing to circumstances, and he may have turned from the 
course we suppose him to have taken by contingent events, 
of which we have now no knowledge. We understand him 
to be on his march through Georgia, to make the South 
Atlantic Squadron, at Beaufort, his new base of supplies, 
if he needs one, but if the country, as we suppose, is 
sufficient to maintain his army, there is no absolute need 
of any new base. 

"Here it will be inquired. What opposition will he en- 
counter, and what is his object } There will be no army 
in front of him and the Georgia malitia will be utterly 
inefficient in obstructing his progress. Hood is powerless; 
Lee has no men to spare, and if he had, it would take a 
large army to encounter Sherman. The field is, therefore, 
open before him, and the main question is, what can he 
accomplish ? In our opinion, he can accomplish the most 
important results reached in the war. When a column 
reaches Macon, it can destroy, effectually, the only remain- 
ins: railroad communication between the eastern and 
western parts of the Confederacy. When a column shall 
reach Augusta, it destroys the largest manufactories and 
depot of military munitions in the South. The greatest 



THE SOLDIERS IN THE DARK. 369 

and almost only powder manufactory is there. When the 
railroad to Augusta, and from Savannah to Charleston are 
destroyed, there is no further practicable military commu- 
nication between the country east of the Savannah and 
west of it. We shall have severed the Confederacy by 
another impassable line. 

" But this is only the beginning. If Sherman can reach 
Beaufort, after a week's rest, he can move right on through 
North Carolina to Danville, thus making Eastern Virginia. 
a prison and a grave for Lee's army and the Rebel Gov- 
ernment. This, we say, is perfectly practicable with an 
average share of luck. We do not know that General 
Sherman has all this in his plan ; but why not } Why 
should he not aim at the greatest results t What is to 
prevent these results ? He has a large, well equipped dis- 
ciplined army. What is there from the Roanoke to the 
Tennessee to oppose him .'' Nothing that can oppose any 
serious resistance to a disciplined army, 

"But what of Hood.? Hood has no larger army than 
Thomas has, besides all the garrisons, gunboats and militia 
in the rear. It will be less safe for him to advance than to 
retreat. Such is the outline of the military operations we 
suppose to be on foot. We wait further information with 
solicitude, but with hope that the final will be brilliant 
and decisive." 

A private letter from one of Sherman's officers, just be- 
fore the start from Atlanta, gave this view of the case : 

"We are under orders to prepare for a sixty days cam- 
paign ; so you see that does not look much like spending 
thT3 winter in Atlanta, as many have hoped to do. It is not 
supposed that any below a Major-General knows what is to 
be the programme — nor do they ; but it is generally con- 
jectured that a large force is soon to start for Savannah, 



370 THE GRAND START. 

via Augusta and Milledgeville. General Thomas will have 
force, with what will be left him by Sherman, to 'do the 
agreeable' to Hood. You may expect that 'something 
may turn up ' before this army settles down for the winter," 
•Among the many accounts of the march to the sea, one 
of the most graphic and accurate was furnished by an army 
officer to the New York Evening Post. Writing from At- 
lanta on November 14th, he said : 

"On the 1 2th instant the last train of cars whirled rap- 
idly past the troops moving south, speeding over bridges 
and into the woods as if they feared they might be left 
helpless in the deserted land. At Curtfsville the last com- 
munications with the North were served with the tele- 
graph wire. It bore the message to General Thomas,' All 
is well' And so we have cut adrift from our base of opera- 
tions, from our line of communications, launching out into 
uncertainty at the best ; on a journey whose projected end 
only the general in command knows. 

"As for the army, they do not stop to ask questions. 
"Sherman says 'Come,' and that is the entire vocabu- 
lary to them, A most cheerful feature of the situation is 
the fact that the men are healthful and jolly as men can be, 
hoping for the best, willing to dare the worst. 

" Behind us we leave a track of smoke and flame. Half of 
Marietta was burned up, not by orders, however; for the 
command is that proper details shall be made to destroy all 
property which can ever be of use to the Rebel armies. 
Stragglers will get into these places, and dwelling houses 
are leveled to the ground. In nearly all cases these are 
the deserted habitations formerly owned by Rebels, who 
are now refugees. 

"From Kingston to Atlanta the rails have been taken 
up on the road, fires built about them, and the iron twisted 



DESTRUCTION OF THE CITY. 37 1 

in all sorts of curves ; thus they are left, never to be 
straightened again. The Secesh inhabitants are in agony 
of wonder at all this queer manoeuvring. It appears as if 
we intended evacuating Atlanta, but our troops are taking 
the wrong direction for the hopes and purposes of these 
people. 

"Atlanta is entirely deserted of human beings, excepting 
a few soldiers here and there. The houses are vacant ; 
there is no trade or traffic of any kind ; the streets are 
empty. Beautiful roses bloom in the gardens of fine 
houses, but a terrible stillness and solitude covers it all, 
depressing the hearts even of those who are glad to destroy 
it. In your peaceful homes at the North you cannot con- 
ceive how these people have suffered for their crimes." 

The next night he wrote of the burning of Atlanta: 

" A grand and awful spectacle is presented to the beholder 
in this beautiful city, now in flames. By order, the Chief 
Engineer has destroyed by powder and fire all the store- 
houses, depot buildings and machine shops. The heaven 
is one expanse of lurid fire : the air is filled with flying, 
burning cinders; buildings covering over two hundred 
acres are in ruiub or in flames; every instant there is the 
sharp detonation or the smothered burning sound of 
exploding shells and powder concealed in the buildings, 
and then the sparks and flame shooting away up into the 
black and red roof, scattering the cinders far and wide. 

"These are the machine shops where have been forged 
and cast Rebel cannon, shot and shell, that have carriec? 
death to many a brave defender of our nation's honor. 
These warehouses have been the receptacle of munitions 
of war, stored, to be used for our destruction. The city, 
which next to Richmond, has furnished more material for 
prosecuting the war than any other in the South, exists 
no more as a means for the enemies of the Union." 



372 AT THE STATE CAPITAL. 

November 24th found the army of Georgia, Slocum 
commanding, at the State capital, Milledgeville, which 
they captured without firing a gun. The Legislature fled 
at their approach without waiting for the formality of 
adjournment ; and this panic, says the correspondent 
quoted, "spread among the citizens to such an extent as 
to depopulate the place, except of a few old gentlemen and 
ladies, and the negroes ; the latter welcoming our approach 
with ecstatic exclamations of joy: 'Bless de Lord ! the 
Yanks is come ; de day ob jubilee hab arribed ' ; and then 
acompanied their words with rather embarrassing hugs. 

" General Slocum, with the Twentieth Corps, first 
entered the city, arriving by way of Madison, having accom- 
plished his mission of destroying the railroads and valuable 
bridges at Madison. The fright of the legislators, as des- 
cribed by witnesses, must have been comical in the ex- 
treme. They little imagined the movement of our left 
wing, hearing first of the advance of Kilpatrick on the ex- 
treme right toward Macon, and supposed that to be 
another raid. What their opinion was when Howard's 
army appeared at McDonough it could be difficult to say; 
and their astonishment must have approached insanity 
when the other two columns were heard from — one directed 
toward Augusta and the other swiftly marching straight 
upon their devoted city, 

" It seemed as if they were surrounded upon all sides 
except toward the east, and that their doom was sealed. 
With the certain punishment for their crimes looming up 
before them, they sought every possible means of escape. 
Private effects, household furniture, books, pictures, every 
thing was conveyed to the depot and loaded into the cars 
until they were filled and heaped, and the flying people 
could not find standing room. 



PRIVATE RIGHTS RESPECTED. 373 

"Any and every price was obtained for a vehicle. A 
thousand dollars was cheap for a common buggy, and men 
rushed about the streets in agony of fear lest they should 
'fall victims to the ferocity of the Yankees,' 

"Several days of perfect quiet passed after this exodus, 
when, on a bright, sunshiny morning a regiment entered 
the city, with the band playing national airs, which music 
had many a day since been hushed in the capital of 
Georgia. 

" But few of the troops were marched through the city. 
Some two or three regiments were detailed, under the 
orders of the engineers, to destroy certain property desig- 
nated by the general commanding. The magazines, ar- 
senals, depot buildings, factories of one kind and another, 
with storehouses containing large amounts of government 
property, and some 1,700 bales of cotton burned. Private 
houses were respected everywhere, even those of noted 
Rebels, and I heard of no instance of pillage or insult to 
the inhabitants. One or two of the latter, known as hav- 
ing been in the Rebel army, were prisoners of war, but 
the surgeons at the hospitals, the principal of the insane 
asylum, and others, expressed their gratitude that such 
perfect order was maintained throughout the city. 

" General Sherman is at the Executive Mansion, its for- 
mer occupant having with extremely bad grace fled from 
h!s distinguished visitor, taking with him the entire furni- 
ture of the building. As General Sherman travels wdth a 
mcnoge (a roll of blankets and haversack full of hard-tack), 
which is as complete for a life out in the open air as in a 
palace, this discourtesy of Governor Brown was not a seri- 
ous inconvenience. 

" General Sherman's opening move in the present cam- 
paign has been successful in the highest degree. At first 



374 O^L V ONE BATTLE. 

moving his Army in three columns, with a column of Cav- 
alry on his extreme right, with eccentric lines, he diverted 
the attention of the enemy, so that he concentrated his 
forces at extreme points, Macon and Augusta, leaving un- 
impeded the progress of the main body. In this campaign 
— the end of which does not yet appear — it is not the pur- 
pose of the General to spend his time before fortified cities, 
nor yet to incumber his wagons with wounded men. His 
instructions to Kilpatrick were to report to Howard and so 
demonstrate against Macon. 

" Slocum, with the Twentieth Corps, arrived at Milledge- 
ville on the 22d instant, preceding Davis, with the Four- 
teenth Corps, one day. On the same day Kilpatrick struck 
the Macon and Western Road, destroying the bridge at 
Walnut Creek. The day following Howard, with the Fif- 
teenth and Seventeenth Corps, after a battle, arrived at Gor- 
don, and began the destruction of the Georgia Central 
Railroad. 

" It was back of this that the most serious fight of the 
campaign occurred tothis date, supported by General Chas. 
R.Wood's entire division. General VVolcot in command of a 
detachment of cavalry and a brigade of infantry, was thrown 
forward to Griswoldville, toward Macon, for demonstra- 
tive purposes merely. The enemy, some five thousand 
strong, advanced upon our troops, who had thrown up 
temporary breastworks, with a section of a battery in 
position. The cavalry fell slowly back on either flank of 
brigade, protecting them from attack in flank and rear. 
The Rebels are composed of militia chiefly, although a 
portion of Hardee's old corps was present, having been 
brought up from Savannah. 

" With that ignorance of danger common to new troops, 
the Rebels rushed upon our veterans with the greatest 



THE REBELS DECEIVED. 3/5 

fury. The rebels made the attack, but with most fatal 
results and were soon in full flight, leaving more than 
three hundred dead on the field. Our loss was some forty 
killed and wounded, while their killed, wounded and 
prisoners are estimated to exceed two thousand. A pretty 
severe lesson they have received." 

The whole army moved on, and three days later reached 
Tennille Station, on the Georgia Central Railroad. Con- 
tinuing his story, the correspondent wrote on November 
27 : " General Sherman was with Slocum at Milledgeville. 
The rebels seem to have understood, but too late, that 
it was not Howard's intention to make a serious attack upon 
Macon. They have, however, succeeded in getting Wheeler 
across the Oconee at a point below the railroad bridge. 
We first became aware of their presence in our front by 
the destruction of several small bridges across Buffalo 
Creek, on the two roads leading to Sandersville, over 
which were advancing the 20th and 14th Corps. 

" We were delayed but a few hours. The passage was 
also contested by the rebel cavalry under Wheeler, and 
they fought our front all the way, and into the streets of 
Sandersville. The 20th Corps had the advance, deploying 
a regiment as skirmishers, forming the remainder of a 
brigade in line of battle on either side of the road. The 
movement was executed in the handsomest manner, and 
was so effectual as not to impede the march of the column 
in the slightest degree, although the roll of musketry was 
unceasing. Our loss was not serious, twenty odd killed and 
wounded. 

" As the 20th Corps entered the town they were met by 
the 14th, whose head of column arrived at the same mo- 
ment. While these two corps had met with the obstruc- 
tions above mentioned, the army under General Howard 



376 THANKSGIVING DAY KEPT. 

were attempting to throw a pontoon across the Oconee at 
the Georgia Central Railroad bridge. Here they met a 
force under the command of General Wayne, which was 
composed of a portion of Wheeler's cavalry, militia, and a 
band of convicts who had been liberated from the peniten- 
tiary upon the condition that they would join the army. 

" The most of these desperados have been taken pris- 
oners, dressed in their State prison clothing. General Sher- 
m.an has turned them loose, believing that Governor Brown 
had not got the full benefits of his liberality. The rebels 
did not make a remarkably stern defense of the bridge, for 
Howard was able to cross his army yesterday, a,nd com- 
menced breaking railroad again to-day. In fact, all of the 
army, except one corps, are engaged in this same work. 
Morgan, with his army, was hardly able to reach this point 
when he met General Hardee, who has managed to get 
around here from Macon. Our troops struck the railroad 
at this station a few hous after the frightened band escaped. 

" We had been told that the country was very poor east 
of the Oconee, but our experience has been a delightful 
gastronomic contradiction of the statement. The cattle 
trains are getting so large that we find difficulty in driving 
them along. Thanksgiving Day was very generally ob- 
served in the army, the troops scorning chickens in the 
plentitude of turkeys with which they have supplied them- 
selves. 

"Vegetables of all kinds, and in unlimited quantities, 
were at hand, and the soldiers gave thanks as soldiers may 
and were merry as only soldiers can be. In truth, so far as 
the gratification of the stomach goes, the troops are pursuing 
a continuous thanksgiving. 

" In addition to fowls, vegetables, and meats, many ob- 
tain a delicious syrup made from sorghum, which is culti- 



HOWELL COBB'S PLANTATION. 377 

vated on all the plantations, and stored away in large 
troutrhs and hocrsheads. The mills here and there furnish 
fresh supplies of flour and meal, and we hear little or noth- 
ing of ' hard tack ' — that terror to weak mastication. Over 
the sections of country lately traversed I find very little 
cultivation of cotton. The commands of Davis appear to 
have been obeyed; and our large droves of cattle are turned 
nightly into the immense fields of ungathered corn to eat 
their fill, while the granaries are crowded to overflowing 
with both oats and corn. 

" We have also reached the sand regions, so that the 
fall of rain has no terrors, the roads are excellent, and 
v/ould become firmer from a liberal wetting. The rise of 
the rivers will not bother us much, for every army corps 
has its pontoon, and the launching of its boats is a mat- 
ter of an hour. 

"Just before his entrance into Milledgeville, General 
Sherman camped on one of the plantations of Howell 
Cobb. It was a coincidence that a Macon paper, contain- 
ing Cobb's address to the Georgians as general command- 
ing, was received the same day. This plantation was the 
property of Cobb's wife, who was a Demar. 

" We found his granaries well filled with corn and wheat, 
part of which was distributed and eaten by our animals and 
men. A large supply of syrup made from sorghum (which 
we have found at nearly every plantation on our march), was 
stored in an out-house. This was also disposed of to the 
soldiers and to the poor, decrepit negroes, which this hu- 
mane, liberty-loving Major-General left to die in this place 
a few days ago. Becoming alarmed, Cobb sent to that 
place and removed all the able-bodied mules, horses, cows, 
and slaves. He left here some fifty old men — cripples, 
and women and children — with clothinsr scarce coverine 



378 REBEL STORIES. 

their nakedness, with httle or no food, and without means 
of procuring any. We found them cowering over the fire- 
places of their miserable huts, where the wind whirled 
through the crevices between the logs, frightened at the 
approach of the Yankees, who they had been told would 
kill them. A more forlorn, neglected set of human 
beings I never saw. 

" General Sherman distributed to the negroes with his 
own hands the provisions left here, and assured them that 
we were their friends, and they need not be afraid. One old 
man answered him : ' I spose dat you's true : but, massa, 
you'll go 'way to-morrow, and anudder white man will 
come.' 

" This terrorism, which forms so striking a feature of 
slavery, has had marked illustrations ever since we left At- 
lanta. Many negroes were told that as soon as we got 
them into our clutches they were put into the front of the 
battle, and we killed them if they did not fight ; that we 
threw the women and children into the Chattahoochie, and 
when the buildings were burned in Atlanta, we filled them 
with negroes to be devoured by the flames. These stories, 
which appear so absurd to us, are not too extravagant for 
the simple, untutored minds of the negroes. They are 
easily fi-ightened, and full of superstition. In most any 
other instance, such bloody tales would have frightened 
them entirely out of our sight to the woods and other hiding 
places; but they assert, with much earnestness and glee that 
' massa can't come dat over we ; we knowed a heap better. 
What for de Yankees want to hurt black men. Massa 
hates de Yankees, and he's no fren' ter we ; so we am de 
Yankee's bi's fren's.' Very simple logic, that ; but it is 
sufficient for the negroes. 

" Near Covington, one Judge Harris has a large planta- 



NEGROES Joining the army, 381 

tion ; before we arrived it was well stocked ; I can't answer 
for its condition afterward. A jollier set of negroes I never 
saw than his were when the blue coats came along. Stories 
of their cruelty to the negroes were also told by their masters 
to frighten them, but the negroes never put faith in them. 
I asked Judge Harris's head man : ' Well, how do you like 
the Yankees ?' ' Like him ! bully, bully, bully. I'se wanted 
to see 'em long time ; heard a heap 'bout 'em. Say, Sally, 
dese here be gentlemen dat's passing.' A compliment to 
our soldiers, which they no doubt would have appreciated 
could they have heard Mr. Lewis. 

"'Yass, sar; I'se hope de Lord will prosper dem and 
Mr. Sherman.' 

" ' Why do you hope that the Lord will help the Yankee ?' 

" ' Because I t'inks, and so we all t'inks, dot you'se down 
here in our interests.' 

" ' You're about right there. Did you ever hear that 
President Lincoln freed all the slaves ?' ' No, sar ; I never 
heard such a t'ing. De white folks nebber talk 'fore 
black men ; dey mighty free from dat' In other parts of 
the South the negroes I have seen seem to understand there 
is a man named Lincoln, who had the power to free them 
and had exercised it. We have reached here a stratum of 
ignorance upon that subject. All knowledge of that nature 
has not only been kept from the blacks, but only a few of 
the w^hites are well-informed. 

" General Sherman allows all able-bodied negroes (others 
could not make the march) to join the column, and he takes 
especial pleasure when they join the procession, on some 
occasions telling them they are free ; that Massa Lincoln 
has given them their liberty, and that they can go where 
they please ; that if they earn their freedom they should 
have it — but that Massa Lincoln had given it to them any- 



382 DESTRUCTION OF RAILROADS. 

how. They all seem to understand that the proclamation 
of freedom had made them free, and I have met but few in- 
stances where they did not say they expected the Yankees 
were coming down sometime or other, and very generally 
they are possessed with the idea that we are fighting for 
them and that their freedom is the object of the war. 

" ' Stick in dar,' was the angry exclamation of one of a 
party of negroes to another, who was asking too many 
questions of the officer who had given them permission to 
join the column. ' Stick in dar, it's all right ; we'se gwine 
along, we'se free.' 

" Another replied to a question, ' Oh, yass, massa, de 
people hereabouts were heap frightened when dey heard 
you'se coming ; dey dusted out yer sudden.' 

" Pointing to the Atlanta & Augusta Railroad, which had 
been destroyed, the question was asked, * It took a longer 
time to build this railroad than it does to destroy it ?' 

*"I would think it did, massa; in dat ar woods over dar 
is buried ever so many black men who were killed a work- 
ing on dat road.' 

"'Does the man live here who worked them?' 

"*Oh no, sar; he's dun gone longtime.' 

" By the way, the destruction of railroads in this cam- 
paign has been most thorough. The ordinary method of 
destruction was to place the rails across a pile of burning 
sleepers, their own weight bending them. 

" But this do-as not injure the rail so much but that it may 
be heated and straightened again. Instruments have been 
made ; one is a clasp, which locks under the rail. It has a 
ring in the top into which is inserted a long lever, and the 
rail is thus ripped from the sleepers. When the rail has 
become heated a wrench is applied, which fits close over the 
ends of the rail :, by turning them in opposite directions the 



SUCCESSFUL PROGRESS. 383 

rail is so twisted that even a rolling machine could not bring 
it back into shape. In this manner have been destroyed 
some thirty miles of rails which lay in the city of Atlanta, 
and also all the rails on the Augusta & Atlanta road from 
the last named place to Madison ; and thus far the Georgia 
Central road, from a few miles east of Macon to Terryville 
Station, where I am now writing." 

The army reached Johnson's, on the south side of the 
railroad, on November 29, when the writer continued : 

" General Sherman's second step in this campaign will 
have have been equally successful with the first, if he is able 
to cross the Ogeechee to-morrow without much opposition. 
Davis and Kilpatrick's movement has been a blind in order 
to facilitate the passage over the Ogeechee of the main 
body of the army, which for two days past has been 
marching on parallel roads south of the railroad. 

" Thus far, we have reas n to believe that the rebels are 
ignorant of our principal movement, and are trembling with 
fear that Augusta is our objective. 

" Kilpatrick is doing the same work which he accom- 
plished with such high honor when covering our right 
flank in the early days of the campaign. His column now 
acts as a curtain upon the extreme left, through which the 
enemy may in vain attempt to penetrate. 

" The most pathetic scenes occur upon our line of march 
daily and hourly. Thousands of negro women join the 
column, some carrying household truck ; others, and many 
of them there are, who bear the heavy burden of children 
in their arms, while older boys and girls plod by their sides. 
These women and children are, by some commanders, 
ordered back, heartrending though it may be to refuse them 
liberty. One begs that she may go to see her husband and 
children at Savannah. Long years ago she was forced 



384 PATHETIC SCENES. 

from them and sold. Another has heard that her boy was 
in Macon, and she is ' done gone with grief goin' on four 
years.* 

" But the majority accept the advent of the Yankees as 
the fulfillment of the millennial prophecies. The ' day of 
jubilee,' the hope and prayer of a lifetime, has come. They 
cannot be made to understand that they must remain be- 
hind, and they are satisfied only when General Sherman 
sometimes tells them that we shall come back for them some 
time, and that they must be patient until the proper hour of 
deliverance comes (this because they so swarmed). 

" The other day a woman with a child in her arms was 
working her way along amongst the teams and crowds of 
cattle and horsemen. An officer called to her kindly : 
' Where are you going, aunty ? ' 

" She looked up into his face with a hopeful, beseeching 
look, and replied : 

" ' I'se gwine whar you'se gwine, massa.' 

" At a house a few miles from Milledgeville we halted 
for an hour. In an old hut I found a negro and his wife, 
both of them over sixty years old. In the talk which en- 
sued nothing was said which led me to suppose that either 
of them was anxious to leave their mistress, who, by the 
way, was a sullen, cruel-looking woman, when all at once 
the old negress straightened herself up, and her face, which 
a moment before was almost stupid in its expression, as- 
sumed a fierce, almost devilish aspect. 

" Pointing her shiningr black finder at the old man 
crouched in the corner of the fireplace, she hissed out : 

" ' What for you sit dar ; you 'spose I wait sixty years for 
nutten? Don't yer see de door open. I'se follow my 
child ; I not stay. Yes, nodder day I goes 'long wid dese 
people ; yes, sar, I walks till I drop in my tracks.' A more 



ACHOSS THE OGEECHEE. 385 

terrible sight I never beheld. I can think of nothing to 
compare with it, except Charlotte Cushman's ' Meg Mer- 
rilies." Rembrandt only could have painted the scene, with 
its dramatic surroundings. 

" It was near this place that several factories were 
burned. It was odd enough to see the delight of the 
negroes at the destruction of places known only to them as 
task-houses." 

Sherman did cross the Ogeechee River without having 
to fight. The 20th Corps moved down the railroad, de- 
stroying it to the bridge. The 17th Corps covered the 
river at this point, where a light bridge was only partially 
destroyed. It was easily repaired, so that the infantry and 
calvary could pass over it, while the wagons and artillery 
used the pontoons. The Ogeechee is about sixty yards in 
width at this point. It is approached on the northern or 
western side through swamps, which would be impassable 
were it not for the sandy soil, which packs solid when the 
water covers the roads, although in places there are treach- 
erous quicksands which the army had to span with cor- 
duroy roads. 

Here they met a quaint old man who had been station 
agent before the railroad was destroyed. The correspon- 
dent had a long chat with him about the war, and about 
Sherman's march, and the old man said : 

" ' They say you are retreating, but it is the strangest sort 
of a retreat I ever saw. Why, dog bite them, the news- 
papers have been lying in this way all along. They allers 
are whipping the Federal armies, and they allers fall back 
after the battle is over. It was that ar' idee that first opened 
my eyes. Our army was allers whipping the Feds, and 
we allers fell back. I allers told 'em it was a humbug, and 
now I know it, for here you are, right on old John Wells's 



386 A QUANT PHILOSOPHER. 

place ; hogs, potatoes, corn, and fences all gone. I don't 
find any fault. I expected it all.' 

" ' Jeff Davis and the rest,' he continued, ' talk about 
splitting the Union. Why, if South Carolina had gone out 
by herself, she would have been split in four pieces by this 
time. Splitting the Union ! Why, the State of Georgia is 
being split right through from end to end. It is these rich 
fellows who are making this war, and keeping their pre- 
cious bodies out of harm's way. There's John Franklin 
went through here the other day, running away from your 
army. I could have played dominoes on his coat-tails. 
There's my poor brother, sick with smallpox at Macon, 
working for ^ii a month, and hasn't got a cent of the stuff 
for a year. 'Leven dollars a month and ii,ooo bullets a 
minute. I don't believe in it, sir.' 

" ' My wife came from Canada, and I kind o' thought I 
would sometime go there to live, but was allers afraid of 
the ice and cold ; but I can tell you this country is getting 
too cussed hot for me. Look at my fence-rails a-burning 
there. I think I can stand the cold better.' 

" ' I heard as how they cut down the trees across your 
road up country and burn the bridges ; why (dog bite their 
hides), one of you Yankees can take up a tree and carry it 
off, tops and all ; and there's that bridge you put across the 
river in less than two hours — they might as well try to stop 
the Ogeechee as you Yankees. 

" ' The blasted rascals who built this yere bridge thought 
they did a big thing. 

" * To bring back the good old times,' he said, ' it'll take 
the help of Divine Providence, a heap of rain, and a deal of 
elbow grease, to fix things up again.' " 

The steady progress of the army was recorded at Scar- 
borough on December 3, thus: 



THE REBELS STILL BLINDED, 387 

" Pivoted upon Millen, the army has swung slowly round 
from its eastern course, and is now moving in six columns 
upon parallel roads southward. Until yesterday it was im- 
possible for the rebels to decide whether or not it was Gen- 
eral Sherman's intention to march upon Augusta. Kilpat- 
rick had destroyed the bridge above Wainesborough, and 
falling back had again advanced, supported by the 14th 
Army Corps, under General Davis. South of this column, 
moving eastward through Birdsville, was the 20th Corps, 
commanded by General Slocum. Yet further south, the 
17th Corps, General Blair in command, followed the rail- 
road, destroying it as he advanced. West and south of the 
Ogeechee, the 15th Corps, General Osterhaus in immediate 
command, but under the eye of General Howard, has moved 
in two columns. 

" Until now Davis and Kilpatrick have been a cover and 
shield to the real movements. At no time has it been pos- 
sible for Hardee to interpose any serious obstacle to the 
advance of the main body of our army, for our left wing 
has always been a strong arm thrust out in advance, ready 
to put in chancery any force which might attempt to get 
within its guard. 

" The rebel councils of war appear to have been com- 
pletely deceived, for we hear it reported that Bragg and 
Longstreet are at Augusta with ten thousand men, made up 
of militia, two or three South Carolina regiments, and a 
portion of Hampton's Legion, sent there for one month. It 
is possible, now that the curtain has been withdrawn, and 
as it may appear that we are marching straight for Savan- 
nah, their generals may attempt to harass our rear. 

" The work so admirably performed by our left wing, so 
far as it obliged the rebels in our front constantly to re- 
treat, by threatening their rear, now becomes the office of 



388 



NO POSSIBILITY OF FAILURE. 




HEARING SA VANNAH. 389 

the Fifteenth Corps, our right wing, on the right bank of 
the river. Its two columns arc moving one day's march in 
advance of the main body of the army, marching down the 
peninsula between the Savannah and Ogeechee rivers. The 
necessity and value of these flank movements first of the 
right wing with Kilpatrick's calvary, then of Davis and Kil- 
patrick on the left, and now of Howard on our right, is be- 
cause we cannot run over and demolish any and all the 
Rebel force in Georgia. They could not for a moment 
stand before this army upon any ordinary battle-ground, but 
a very small force of infantry or calvary at a river could de- 
lay a column half a day, and perhaps longer, and as our sol- 
diers have got tired of chickens, sweet potatoes, sorghum, 
etc., and have been promised oysters on the half shell, oys- 
ters roasted, stewed, etc., in short, oysters ; they don't care 
to be delayed." 

The right, Blair and Logan, found a sparse population 
and rather meagre supplies. The lessoning do not apply 
to them, the breadth swept by their columns varied from 
40 to 60 miles. 

That Sherman was marching on Savannah was at last 
clear to the Rebels ; and it was equally clear to them 
that they would not be able soon to stop him. By 
December 6th the army was at Ogeechee Church, Logan's 
Corps still on the west side of the river. Kilpatrick's 
Cavalry engaged the enemy under Wheeler several times 
near Waynesborough, with success. General Howard 
made a bold and brilliant movement between the Little 
Ogeechee and the Great Ogeechee. He pushed ahead of 
the rest of the army thirteen miles, to the canal connect- 
ing the Ogeechee and Savannah Rivers, bridged the canal, 
crossed it and took up a strong position beyond. This 
forced the enemy to abandon their line of works between 



390 STORMING FORT MCALLISTER. 

the rivers and fall back to the fortifications of Savannah. 

Sherman now moved forward more cautiously. The 
country was swampy and the roads narrow causeways, and 
the enemy had great advantages in defending the city. 
There was a Union fleet off the coast, and Sherman sought 
to open communications with it. By December I2th his 
investment of the city was complete, and only Fort Mc- 
Allister barred his way to the shore. General Howard 
had sent three scouts down the river in a canoe past the 
fort and they had almost reached Admiral Dahlgren, com- 
mander of the fleet ; but did not venture to return. Next 
day Howard, having consulted with Sherman, directed 
General Hazen's Division to cross the Ogeechee by King's 
Bridge and move down toward the fort. Then he went 
with Sherman to a signal station which he had established 
on the roof of Cheves's rice-mill, and watched the operations. 

Hazen's advance, under Colonel W. S. Jones, reached a 
point only half a mile from the fort early in the afternoon, 
but it was five o'clock before a sufficient force could be 
brought up and made ready for the assault. Sherman and 
Howard watched the scene, anxious, and impatient to have 
the fort taken before dark. A boat from the fleet ap- 
proached and signalled the question : " Have you taken the 
fort .? " Sherman signalled back, " No ; but we shall in a 
minute;" for Hazen was just ordering the charge. A 
sharp struggle followed. The works were strong and 
torpedoes did much damage. But in fifteen minutes all 
was over. The garrison was captured, and the Stars and 
Stripes floated over Fort McAllister. 

The army and the fleet now joined forces. Howard 
pressed the work of building roads across the swamps and 
draining the rice fields. On December 17th, Sherman 
summoned Hardee, the Rebel commander, to surrender, 



THE NEWS OF VICTORS. 39I 

but Hardee refused. Howard and Slocum brought up 
their batteries and pressed the army forward, however, 
and Hardee, after a detachment of Sherman had crossed 
the Savannah, saw the situation was hopeless ; so before 
his last road was taken he took to flight with his troops 
and light artillery, leaving his heavy guns and stores be- 
hind. At daybreak of December 21st the Union troops 
occupied the city, and Sherman's official dispatch announc- 
ing the event reached Lincoln at Washington on Christmas 
Day. "I beg to present you," he said, "as a Christmas 
gift, the city of Savannah, with 150 heavy guns and 
plenty of ammunition, and also about 25,000 bales of 
cotton." 

Before this, however, the Nation had been informed of 
the whereabouts of the " lost army" by means of this dis- 
patch, which was received at the War Department, 
Washington, on December 14th: 

"Hilton Head, S. C, Monday, Dec. 12th, 1864, 

"via Fort Monroe, Dec. 14th. 
" To Major-Gcneral Hallcck, Chief of Staff. 

" General : — Captain Duncan, of General Howard's 
scouts, has just come, in from General Howard, having 
descended the Ogeechee River in a small boat. They left 
the army on the evening of the 9th. General Sherman's 
whole army was then within ten miles of Savanah, advanc- 
ing to attack it. The enemy's works, five miles from the 
city, were probably attacked yesterday, as heavy firing was 
heard in that direction. 

" Captain Duncan represents the army to be in the best 
spirits possible, and the most excellent condition. Very 
little opposition had been met with on the march, as the 
enemy could not tell what routes were to be taken. The 
army has lived off the country, and has accumulated a 



392 SHERMAN'S REVIEW. 

considerable number of horses and cattle. It was also well 
supplied. 

" The following is a copy of the dispatch brought by 
Captain Duncan : 

"'Hdqrs. Army of the Tennessee, near Savannah 
Canal, December 9th, 1864. 
" ' To the Cominander of the United States Naval Forces 

in tJie vicinity of Savannah, Ga. 

" ' Sir : — We have met with perfect success thus far. The 
troops are in fine spirits and General Sherman near by. 
"'Respectfully, O. O. Howard, Major-General, 

" ' Commanding Right Wing of the Army.' 

"Another dispatch brought by Captain Duncan, directed 
to the Signal Officer of the fleet, from General Howard's 
Chief Signal Officer, requests a good lookout to be kept 
for signals. 

" I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obe- 
dient servant, J. G. Foster, 

"Major-General Commanding." 

Sherman afterward wrote of this great march and its 
results as follows : 

" I was left with a well-appointed army to sever the 
enemy's only remaining railroad communications eastward 
and westward, for over one hundred miles, namely, the 
Georgia State railroad, which is broken up from Fairborn 
Station to Madison and the Oconee and the Central rail- 
road from Gordon clear to Savannah, v/ith numerous 
breaks on the latter road from Gordon to Eatonville, and 
from Millen to Augusta, and the Savannah and Gulf rail- 
road. We have consumed the corn and fodder in a region 
of country thirty miles on each side of a line from Atlanta 
to Savannah, as also the sweet potatoes, cattle, hogs, sheep, 
and poultry. We have carried away more than ten thou- 



BEHAVIOR OF THE TROOPS. 393 

sand horses and mules, as well as a countless number of 
slaves. I estimate the damage done to the State of 
Georgia at a hundred millions of dollars, at least twenty 
millions of which has inured to our advantage, and the 
remainder is simply waste and destruction. This may 
seem a hard species of warfare, but it brings the sad reali- 
ties of war home to those who have been directly or in- 
directly instrumental in involving us in its attendant cala- 
mities. 

"The behavior of our troops in Savannah has been so 
manly, so quiet, so perfect, that I take it as the best evi- 
dence of discipline and true courage. Never was a hostile 
city filled with women and children occupied by a large 
army with less disorder, or more system, order, and good 
government." 



CHAPTER XXV. 

SHERMAN'S STORY OF THE MARCH. 

The Soldier's Modest Narration of his Arduous Deeds — Why the 
March was Decided Upon — Operations around Savannah — Ma- 
terial Results of the Campaign — Handsome Tributes to the 
Officers and Men of his Army. 

After his safe arrival at Savannah, General Sherman 
made the following official report on the great march " from 
Atlanta to the Sea" : 

"Hdqrs, Mil. Div. of the Mississippi, 

"In the Field, Savannah, Ga., Jan. ist, 1865. 
" Major General H. IV. Halleck, Chief of Staff, Washington 

City, D. D. 

" General : — I have the honor to offer my report of the 
operations of the armies under my command since the 
occupation of Atlanta in the early part of September last, 
up to the present date. 

"As heretofore reported in the month of September the 
Army of the Cumberland, Major-General Thomas com- 
manding, held the city of Atlanta ; the Army of the 
Tennessee, Major-General Howard commanding, was 
grouped about East Point ; and the Army of the Ohio, 
Major-General Schofield commanding, held Decatur. Many 
changes occurred in the composition of those armies, in 
394 



PREPARA TIONS AT A TLANTA. 395 

consequence of expiration of the time of service of many 
of the regiments. The opportunity was given to us to 
consolidate the fragments, reclothe and equip the men, 
and make preparations for the future campaign, I also 
availed myself of the occasion to strengthen the garrisons 
to our rear, to make our communications more secure, and 
sent Wagner's Division of the Fourth Corps, and Morgan's 
Division of the Fourteenth Corps back to Chattanooga, 
and Corse's Division of the Fifteenth Corps to Rome. 
Also a thorough reconnoissance was made of Atlanta, 
and a new line of works begun, which required a small 
garrison to hold. 

"During this month, the enemy whom we had left at 
Lovejoy's Station, moved westward toward the Chatta- 
hoochee, taking position facing us and covering the West 
Point railroad, about Palmetto Station. He also threw a 
pontoon bridge across the Chattahoochee, and sent cavalry 
detachments to the west, in the direction of Carrolton and 
Powder Springs. About the same time President Davis 
visited Macon, and his army at Palmetto, and made har- 
angues referring to an active campaign against us. Hood 
still remained in command of the Confederate forces, with 
Cheatham, S. D. Lee and Stewart, commanning his three 
corps, and Wheeler in command of his cavalry, which had 
been largely reinforced. 

" My cavalry consisted of two divisions. One was 
stationed at Decatur, under command of Brigadier-General 
Garrard; the other, commanded by Brigadier-Genera} 
Kilpatrick, was posted near Sandtown, with a pontoon 
bridge over the Chattahoochee, from which he could watch 
any movement of the enemy toward the west. 

"As soon as I became convinced that the enemy in- 
tended to assume the offensive, namely, September 2Sth, 



396 THOMAS AT NASHVILLE. 

I sent Major-General Thomas, second in command, to 
Nashville, to organize the new troops expected to arrive, 
and to make preliminary preparations to meet such an 
event, 

"About the ist of October some of the enemy's cavalry 
made their appearance on the west of the Chattahoochee, 
and one of his infantry corps was reported near Powder 
Springs; and I received authentic intelligence that the 
rest of his infantry was crossing to the west of the Chatta- 
hoochee. I at once made my orders that Atlanta and the 
Chattahoochee railroad bridge should be held by the 
Twentieth Corps, Major-General Slocum, and on the 4th 
of October put in motion the Fifteenth and Seventeenth 
Corps, and the Fourth, Fourteenth, and Twenty-third 
Corps, to Smyrna camp-ground, and on the 5th moved to 
the strong position about Kenesaw. The enemy's cavalry 
had, by a rapid movement, got upon our railroad, at Big 
Shanty and broken the line of telegraph and railroad, and 
with a division of infantry (French's) had moved against 
Allatoona, where were stored about a million rations. Its 
redoubts were garrisoned by three small regiments under 
Colonel Tourtellotte, Fourth Minnesota. 

" I had anticipated this movement, and had by signal and 
telegraph ordered General Corse to reinforce that post from 
from Rome. General Corse had reached Allatoona with a 
brigade during the night of the 4th, just in time to meet 
the attack by French's Division on the morning of the 
5th. In person I reached Kenesaw Mountain about 10 A. M. 
of the 5th, and could see the smoke of battle and hear the 
faint sounds of artillery. The distance, eighteen miles, 
was too great for me to make in time to share in the battle, 
but I directed the Twenty-third Corps, Brigadier-General 
Cox commanding, to move rapidly from the base of Kene- 




I— I 

H 

"A 
H 



o 

&^ 

H 

H 
< 



o 

Q 

CO 



PUSHING FORWARD. 399 

saw due west, aiming to reach the road from Allatoona to 
Dallas, threatening the rear of the forces attacking Alla- 
toona I succeeded in getting a signal message to General 
Corse during the fight, notifying him of my presence. The 
defence of Allatoona by General Corse was admirb'.y con- 
ducted, and the enemy repulsed with heavy slaughter. His 
description of the defence' is so graphic that it leaves 
nothing for me to add ; and the movement of General Cox 
had the desired effect of causing the withdrawal of French's 
Division rapidly in the direction of Dallas. 

" On the 6th and 7th I pushed my cavalry well toward 
Burnt Hickory and Dallas, and discovered that the enemy 
had moved westward, and inferred that he would attempt to 
break our railroad again in the neighborhood of Kingston. 
Accordingly, on the morning of the 8th I put the army in 
motion through Allatoona Pass to Kingston, reaching that 
point on the loth. There I learned that the enemy had 
feigned on Rome, and was passing the Coosa River on a 
pontoon bridge about eleven miles below Rome. I there- 
fore, on the nth, moved to Rome, and pushed Garrard's 
Cavalry and the Twenty-third Corps, under General Cox, 
across ths Oostanaula, to threaten the .flanks of the enemy 
passing north. Garrard's cavalry drove a cavalry brigade 
of the enemy to and beyond the Narrows, leading into the 
Valley of the Chattooga, capturing two field pieces. The 
enemy had moved with great rapidity, and made his ap- 
pearance at Resaca, and Hood had in person demanded its 
surrender. 

*' I had from Kingston reinforced Resaca by two regi- 
ments of the Army of the Tennessee. I at first intended 
to move the army into the Chattooga Valley, to interpose 
between the enemy and his line of retreat down the Coosa, 
but feared that General Hood would in that event turn 
28 



40O ON THE OLD GROUND. 

eastward by Spring Place, and down the Federal road, and 
therefore moved against him at Resaca. Colonel Weaver 
at Resaca, afterward reinforced by General Raum's brigade, 
had repulsed the enemy from Resaca, but he had succeeded 
in breaking the railroad from Filton to Dalton, and as far 
north as the tunnel. Arriving at Resaca on the evening 
of the 14th, I determined to strike Hood in flank, or force 
him to battle ; and directed the Army of the Tennessee, 
General Howard, to move to Snake Creek Gap which was 
held by the enemy, while General Stanley, with the Fourth 
and Fourteenth Corps, moved by Tilton, across the moun- 
tains, to the rear of Snake Creek Gap in the neighborhood 
of Villianow. 

" The Army of the Tennessee found the enemy occupy- 
ing our old lines in Snake Creek Gap, and on the 15th 
skirmished for the purpose of holding him there until 
Stanley could get to his rear. But the enemy gave way 
about noon, and was followed through the gap, escaping be- 
fore General Stanley had reached the further end of the 
pass. The next day (the i6th) the armies moved^directly 
toward Lafayette, with a view to cut off Hood's retreat. 
We found him intrenched in Ship's Gap, but the leading 
division (Wood's) of the Fifteenth Corps rapidly carried 
the advanced posts held by two companies of a South Caro- 
lina regiment, making them prisoners. The remaining 
eight companies escaped to the main body near Lafayette. 
The next morning we passed over into the Valley of the 
Chattooga, the Army of the Tennessee moving in pursuit 
by Lafayette and Alpine, toward Blue Pond ; the Army of 
the Cumberland by Summerville and Melville Postoffice, 
to Gaylesville, and the Army of the Ohio and Garrard's 
Cavalry from Villainow, Dirttown, and Cover's Gap, to 
Gaylesville. Hood, however, was little incumbered with 



TVATCHING HOOD'S MOVEMENTS. 401 

trains, and marched with great rapidity, and had succeeded 
in getting into the narrow gorge formed by the lookout 
Range abutting against the Coosa River, in the neighbor- 
hood of Gadsden. He evidently wanted to avoid the 
fight. 

■ " On the 19th all the armies were grouped about Gayles- 
ville, in the rich valley of the Chattooga, abounding m 
corn and meat, and I determined to pause in my pursuit of 
the enemy, to watch his movements and live on the coun- 
try. I hoped that Hood would turn toward Guntersville 
and Bridgeport. The Army of the Tennessee was posted 
near Little River, with instructions to feel forward in sup- 
port of the cavalry, which was ordered to watch Hood in 
the neighborhood of Will's Valley, and to give me the 
earliest notice possible of his turning northward. The 
Army of the Ohio was posted at Cedar Bluff, with orders 
to lay a pontoon across the Coosa, and to feel forward to 
Center and down in the direction of Blue Mountain. The 
Army of the Cumberland was held in reserve at Gayles- 
ville ; and all the troops were instructed to draw heavily 
for supplies from the surrounding country. In the mean- 
time communications were opened to Rome, and a heavy 
force set to work in repairing the damages done to our 
railroads. Atlanta was abundantly supplied with provi- 
sions, but forage was scarce, and General Slocum was in- 
structed to send strong foraging parties out in the direc- 
tion of South River and collect all the com and fodder pos- 
sible, and to put his own trains in good condition for fur- 
ther service. 

*' Hood's movements and strategy had demonstrated that 
he had an army capable of endangering at all times my com- 
munications, but unable to meet me in open fight. To fol- 
low him would simply amount to being decoyed away from 



402 RESOLVING ON THE MARCH. 

Georgia, with little prospect of overtaking and overwhelm- 
ing him. To remain on the defensive would have been bad 
policy for an army of so great value as the one I then com- 
manded, and I was forced to adopt a course more fruitful 
in results than the naked one of following him to the south- 
west. I had previously submitted to the Commander-in- 
Chief a general plan, which amounted substantially to the 
destruction of Atlanta and the railroad back to Chatta- 
nooga, and sallying forth from Atlanta, through the heart 
of Georgia, to capture one or more of the great Atlantic 
seaports. This I renewed from Gaylesville, modified some- 
what by the change of events. 

" On the 26th of October, satisfied that Hood had moved 
westward from Gadsden across Sand Mountain, I detached 
the Fourth Corps, Major-General Stanley, and ordered him 
to proceed to Chattanooga and report to Major-General 
Thomas at Nashville. Subsequently, on the 30th of Octo- 
ber, I also detached the Twenty-third Corps, Major-General 
Schofield, with the same destination, and delegated to 
Major-General Thomas full power over all the troops sub- 
ject to my command, except the four corps with which I 
designed to move into Georgia. This gave him the two 
divisions under A. J. Smith, then in Missouri, but en route 
for Tennessee, the two corps named, and all the garrisons 
in Tennessee, as also all the cavalry of my Military Divi- 
sion, except one division under Brigadier-General Kilpat- 
rick, which was ordered to rendezvous at Marietta, Brevet 
Major-General Wilson had arrived from the Army of the 
Potomac, to assume command of the cavalry of my army, 
and I dispatched him back to Nashville with all dismounted 
detachments, and orders as rapidly as possible to collect the 
cavalry serving in Kentucky and Tennessee, to mount, or- 
gamize and equip them, and report to Major-General 



PRSPARATIONS, 4O3 

Thomas for duty. These forces I judged would enable 
General Thomas to defend the railroad from Chattanooga 
back, including Nashville and Decatur, and give him an 
army with which he could successfully cope with Hood, 
should the latter cross the Tennessee northward. 

"By the ist of November Hood's army had moved from 
Gadsden, and made its appearance in the neighborhood of 
Decatur, where a feint was made ; he then passed on to 
Tuscumbia and laid a pontoon bridge opposite Florence. I 
then began my preparations for the march through Georgia, 
naving received the sanction of the Commander-in- 
Chief carrying into effect my plan, the details of which 
were explained to all my corps commanders and heads of 
staff departments, with strict injunctions of secrecy. I had 
also communicated full details to General Thomas, and had 
informed him I would not leave the neighborhood of Kings- 
ton until he felt perfectly confident ^2X he was entirely 
prepared to cope with Hood, should he carry into effect his 
threatened invasion of Tennessee and Kentucky. I esti- 
mated Hood's force at 35,000 infantry and 10,000 cavalry. 

" I moved the Army of the Tennessee by slow and easy 
marches on the south of the Coosa back to the neighbor- 
hood of Smyrna camp ground, and the Fourteenth Corps, 
General Jeff. C. Davis, to Kingston, whither I repaired in 
person on the 2d of November. From that point I directed 
all surplus artillery, all baggage not needed for my con- 
templated march, all the sick and wounded, refugees, &c., 
to be sent back to Chattanooga ; and the four corps above- 
mentioned, with Kilpatrick's Cavalry, were put in the most 
efficient condition possible for a long and difficult march. 
This operation consumed the time until the lith of No- 
vember, when, everything being ready, I ordered General 
Corse, who still remained at Kome, to destroy the bridges 



404 CUTTIN-G COMMUNICATIONS. 

there, all foundries, mills, shops, warehouses, or other prop- 
erty that could be useful to an enemy, and to move to 
Kingston. At the same time the railroad in and about At- 
lanta, and between the Etowah and the Chattahoochee, was 
ordered to be utterly destroyed. 

" The garrisons from Kingston northward were also or- 
dered to draw back to Chattanooga, taking with them all 
public property and all railroad stock, and to take up the 
rails from Resaca back, saving them, ready to be replaced 
whenever future interests should demand. The railroad 
between the Etowah and the Oostanaula was left un- 
touched, because I thought it more than probable we would 
find it necessary to re-occupy the country as far forward as 
the Etowah. Atlanta itself is only of strategic value as 
long as it is a railroad centre ; and as all the railroads lead- 
ing to it are destroyed, as well as all its foundries, machine 
shops, warehouses^epots, &c., it is of no more value than 
any other point in North Georgia ; whereas the line of the 
Etowah, by reasons of its rivers and natural features, pos- 
sesses an importance which will always continue. From 
it all parts of Georgia and Alabama can be reached by 
armies marching with trains down the Coosa or the Chat- 
tahoochee Valleys. 

"On the 1 2th of November, my army stood detached 
and cut off from all communication with the rear. It was 
composed of four corps, the Fifteenth and Seventeenth 
constituting the right wing, under Major-General O. O. 
Howard ; the Fourteenth and Twentieth Corps, constitut- 
ing the left wing, under Major-General H. W. Slocum \ 
of an aggregate strength of 60,000 infrantry ; one cavalry 
division, in aggregate strength 5,500, under Brigadier- 
General Judson Kilpatrick, and the artillery reduced to the 
minimum, one gun per thousand meu. 



HEADING FOR THE SEA. /fi^ 

" The whole force moved rapidly and grouped about 
Atlanta on the 14th November. In the meantime Captain 
O. M. Pee had thoroughly destroyed Atlanta, save its mere 
dwelling houses and churches, and the right wing, with 
General Kilpatrick's cavalry, was put in motion in the di- 
rection of Jonesborough and McDonough, with orders to 
make a strong feint on Macon, to cross the Ocmulgee 
about Planters' Mills, and rendezvous in the neighborhood 
of Gordon in seven days, exclusive of the day of march. 
On the same day General Slocum moved with the Twen- 
tieth corps by Decatur and Stone Mountain, with orders to 
tear up the railroad from Social Circle to Madison, to burn 
the large and important railroad bridge across the Oconee, 
east of Madison, and turn south and reach Milledgeville on 
the seventh day, exclusive of the day of march. 

*' In person I left Atlanta on the i6th, in company with 
the Fourteenth Corps, Brevet-Major-General Jeff. C. Davis, 
by Lithonia, Covington, and Shady Dale, directly on Mil- 
ledgeville. All the troops were provided with good 
wagon trains, loaded with ammunition, and supplies ap- 
proximating twenty days' bread, forty days* sugar and coffee, 
a double allowance of salt for forty days, and beef cattle 
equal to forty days' supplies. The wagons were also supplied 
with about three days' forage, in grain. All were instructed 
by a judicious system of foraging, to maintain this order 
of things as long as possible, living chiefly, if not solely, 
upon the country, which I knew to abound in corn, sweet 
potatoes and meats. 

" My first object was, of course, to place my army in the 
very heart of Georgia, interposing between Macon and 
Augusta, and obliging the enemy to divide his forces to 
defend not only those points, but Millen, Savannah and 
Charleston, AU my calculations were fully reaUjecL 



4e6 wonjc OF the generals. 

During the 22d, General Kilpatrick made a good feint 
on Macon, driving the enemy within his intrenchments, 
and then drew back to Griswoldville, where Walcott's 
Brigade of infantry joined him to cover that flank, while 
Howard's trains were closing up and his men scattered, 
breaking up railroads. The enemy came out of Macon 
and attacked Wolcott in position, but was so roughly han- 
dled that he never repeated the experiment. On the eighth 
day after leaving Atlanta, namely, on the 23d, General 
Slocum occupied Milledgeville and the important bridge 
across the Oconee there, and Generals Howard and Kil- 
patrick were in and about Gordon. 

" General Howard was then ordered to move eastward, 
destroying the railroad thoroughly in his progress as far 
as Tennille Station, opposite Sandersville, and General 
Slocum to move to Sandersville by two roads. General 
Kilpatrick was ordered to Milledgeville, and thence move 
rapidly eastward, to break the railroad which leads from 
Millen to Augusta, then to turn upon Millen and rescue 
our prisoners of war supposed to be confined at that place. 
I accompanied the Twentieth Corps from Millegeville to 
Sandersville, approaching which place, on the 25th, we 
found the bridges across Buffalo Creek burned, which de- 
layed us three hours. The next day we entered Sanders- 
ville, skirmishing with Wheeler's Calvalry, which offered 
little opposition to the advance of the Twentieth and 
Fourteenth Corps, entering the place almost at the same 
moment. 

" General Slocum was then ordered to tear up and de- 
stroy the Georgia Central Railroad, from Station No. 13 
(Tennille) to Station No. 10, near the crossing of Ogeechee; 
one of his Corps substantially followed the railroad, the 
Other by way of Louisville, in support of Kilpatrick's 



KILPATRICK'S RAID. 407 

Cavalry. In person I shifted to the right wing, and ac- 
companied the Seventeenth Corps, General Blair, on the 
south of the railroad.till abreast of Station No. 9 y.^, (Barton;) 
General Howard, in person, with the Fifteenth Corps, 
keeping further to tire right, and about one day's march 
ahead, ready to turn against the flank of any enemy who 
should oppose our progress. 

" At Barton I learned that Kilpatrick's Cavalry had 
reached the Augusta railroad about Waynesborough, where 
he ascertained that our prisoners had been removed from 
Millen and therefore the purpose of rescuing them, upon 
which we had set our hearts, was an impossibility. But as 
Wheeler's Cavalry had hung around him, and as he had 
retired to Louisville t® meet our infantry, in pursuance of 
my instructions not to risk a battle unless at great advan- 
tage, I ordered him to leave his wagons and all incum- 
brances with the left wing, and moving in the direction of 
Augusta, if Wheeler gave him the opportunity, to indulge 
him with all the fighting he wanted. General Kilpatrick, 
supported by Baird's Division of infantry of the Fourteenth 
Corps, again moved in the direction of Waynesborough, 
and encountering Wheeler in the neighborhood of Thomas's 
station, attacked him in position, driving him from three 
successive lines of barricades hamsomely through Waynes- 
borough and across Brier Creek, the bridges over which 
he burned ; and then, with Baird's Division, rejoined the 
left wing, which in the meantime had been marching by 
easy stages of ten miles a day in the direction of Lumpkin's 
Station and Jacksonborough. 

"The Seventeenth Corps took up the destruction of the 
railroad at the Ogeechee, near Station No. 10, and con- 
tinued it to Millen ; the enemy offering little or no opposition, 
althovigh preparation had seemingly been made at Millen," 



408 SHERMAN'S STORY OF THE MARCH. 

" On the 3d of December the 17th Corps which I 
accompanied, was at Millon; the 15th Corps, General 
Howard, was south of the Ogeechee, opposite Station No. 
7 (Scarboro) ; the 20th Corps, General Slocum, on the 
Augusta Railroad, about four miles north of Millen, near 
Buckhead Church, and the 14th Corps, General Jeff. 
C. Davis, in the neighborhood of Lumpkin's Station, on the 
Augusta Railroad. All were ordered to march in the di- 
rection of Savannah — the 15th Corps to continue south 
of the Ogeechee, the 17th to destroy the railroad as 
far as Ogeechee Church — and four days were allowed to 
reach the line from Ogeechee Church to the neighborhood 
of Halley's Ferry, on the Savannah River. All the columns 
reached their destinations in time, and continued to march 
on their several roads — General Davis following the Savan- 
nah River road. General Slocum the middle road by way of 
Springfield, General Blair the railroad, and General Howard 
still south and west of the Ogeechee, with orders to cross 
to the east bank opposite * Eden Station,' or Station No. 2. 

" As we approached Savannah the country became more 
marshy and difficult, and more obstructions were met, in the 
way of felled trees, where the roads crossed the creek 
swamps or narrow causeways ; but our pioneer companies 
were well organized, and removed the obstructions in an in- 
credibly short time. No opposition from the enemy worth 
speaking of was encountered until the heads of columns were 
within 1 5 miles of Savannah, where all the roads leading to 
the city were obstructed more or less by felled timber, with 
earth-works, and artillery. But these were easily turned 
and the enemy driven away, so that by the loth of Decem- 
ber the enemy was driven within his lines at Savannah. 
These followed substantially a swampy creek which empties 
into the Sa^vannah River about three miles above the <jity, 



INVESTING THE CITY. 4O9 

across to the head of a corresponding stream which empties 
into the Little Ogeechee. These streams were singularly 
favorable to the enemy as a cover, being very marshy, and 
bordered by rice-fields, which were flooded either by the 
tide-water or by inland ponds, the gates to which were con- 
trolled and covered by his heavy artillery. 

" The only approaches to the city were by five narrov/ 
causeways, namely, the two railroads, and the Augusta, the 
Louisville, and the Ogeechee dirt roads ; all of which were 
commanded by heavy ordnance, too strong for us to fight 
with our light field guns. To assault an enemy of unknown 
strength at such a disadvantage appeared to me unwise, 
especially as I had so successfully brought my army, almost 
unscathed, so great a distance, and could surely attain the 
same result by the operation of time. I therefore instructed 
my army commanders to closely invest the city from the 
north and west, and to reconnoitre well the ground in their 
fronts, respectively, while I gave my personal attention to 
opening communication with our fleet, which I knew was 
waiting for us in Tybee, Warsaw, and Ossabaw Sounds. 

"■ In approaching Savannah, General Slocum struck the 
Charleston Railroad near the bridge, and occupied the river 
bank as his left flank, where he had captured two of the 
enemy's river boats, and had prevented two others (gun- 
boats) from coming down the river to communicate with the 
city ; while General Howard, by his right flank, had broken 
the Gulf Railroad at Fleming's and way stations, and occu- 
pied the railroad itself down to the Little Ogeechee, near 
' Station No. i ;' so that no supplies could reach Savan- 
nah by any of its accustomed channels. We, on the con- 
trary, possessed large herds of cattle, which we had brought 
along or gathered in the country, and our wagons still con- 
tained a reasonable amount of breadstuffs and other neces- 



410 STORMING THE FORT. 

saries, and the fine rice erops of the Savannah and Ogeechee 
Rivers furnished to our men and animals a large amount of 
rice and rice straw. We also held the country to the south 
and west of the Ogeechee as foraging ground. Still, com- 
munication with the fleet was of vital importasce, and I 
directed General Kilpatrick to cross the Ogeechee by a pon- 
toon bridge, to reconnoitre Fort McAllister, and to proceed 
to Catherine's Sound, in the direction of Sunbur}'- or Kil- 
kenny Bluff, and open communication with the fleet. Gen- 
eral Howard had previously by my direction sent one of 
his best scouts down the Ogeechee in a canoe for alike pur- 
pose. But more than this was necessary. We wanted the 
vessels and their contents, and the Ogeechee River, a navi- 
gable stream, close to the rear of our camps, was the proper 
avenue of supply. 

" The enemy had burned the road-bridge across the 
Ogeechee, just below the mouth of the Canoochee, known 
as ' King's bridge.' This was reconstructed in an in- 
credibly short time, in the most substantial manner, by the 
58th Indiana, Colonel Buel, under the direction of Captain 
Reese, of the Engineers' Corps, and on the 13th of De- 
cember the 2d Division of the 15th Corps, under com- 
mand of Brigadier-General Hazen, crossed the bridge to 
the west bank of the Ogeechee and marched down with 
orders to carry by assault Fort McAllister, a strong inclosed 
redoubt, manned by two companies of artillery and three 
of infantry, in all about two hundred men, and mounting 
23 guns en barbette, and one mortar. General Hazen 
reached the vicinit}' of Fort McAllister about i p. m., de- 
ployed his division about that place, with both flanks rest- 
ing upon the rivsr, posted his skirmishers judiciously behind 
the trunks of trees whose branches had been used for 
abattis, and about 5 p, m., assaulted the plaec with nine regi- 



SEEKING AID FROM THE NAVY. 4IT 

ments at three points ; all of them successful. I witnessed 
the assault from a rice-mill on the opposite bank of the 
river, and can bear testimony to the handsome manner in 
which it was accomplished. 

" Up to this time we had not communicated with our 
fleet. From the signal station at the rice-mill our officers 
had looked for two days over the rice-fields and salt marsh 
in the direction of Ossabaw Sound, but could see nothing 
of it. But while watching the preparations for the assault 
on Fort McAllister, we discovered in the distance what 
seemed to be the smoke-stack of a steamer, which became 
more and more distinct. Until about the very moment of 
the assault she was plainly visible below the fort, and our 
signal was answered. As soon as I saw our colors fairly 
planted upon the walls of McAllister, in company with 
General Howard I went in a small boat down to the fort 
and met General Hazen, who had not yet communicated 
with the gunboat below, as it was shut out to him by a 
point of timber. Determined to communicate that night, I 
got another small boat and a crew and pulled down the 
river till I found the tug ' Dandelion,' Captain Williamson, 
U. S. N., who informed me that Captain Duncan, who had 
been sent by General Howard, had succeeded in reaching 
Admiral Dahlgren and General Foster, and that he was ex- 
pecting them hourly in Ossabaw Sound. After making 
communications to those officers, and a short communica- 
tion to the War Department, I returned to Fort McAllister 
th^ night, and before daylight was overtaken by Major 
Strong, of General Foster's staff, advising me that General 
Foster had arrived in the Ogeechee, near Fort McAllister, 
and was very anxious to meet me on board his boat. I ac- 
cordingly returned with him, and met General Foster on 
board the steamer ' Nemeha,' and, after consultation, deter- 



412 PREPARING TO ATTACK THE CITY. 

mined to proceed with him down the sound in hopes to 
meet Admiral Dahlgren. But we did not meet him until 
we reached Warsaw Sound, about noon. I there went on 
board the Admiral's flag-ship, the ' Harvest Moon,' after 
having arranged with General Foster to send us from Hil- 
ton Head some siege ordnance and some boats suitable 
for navigating the Ogeechee River. Admiral Dahlgren 
very kindly furnished me with all the data concerning his 
fleet and the numerous forts that guarded the inland chan- 
nels between the sea and Savannah. I explained to him 
how completely Savannah was invested at all points, save 
only the plank road on the South Carolina shore known as 
the ' Union Causeway,' which I thought I could reach from 
my left flank across the Savannah River. I explained to 
him that if he would simply engage the attention of the 
forts along Wilmington Channel, at Beaulieu and Rosedew, 
I thought I could carry the defenses of Savannah by assault 
as soon as the heavy ordnance arrived from Hilton Head. 
On the 15th the Admiral carried me back to Fort McAllis- 
ter, whence I returned to our lines in the rear of Savannah. 

" Having received and carefully considered all the reports 
of division commanders, I determined to assault the lines 
of the enemy as soon as my heavy ordnance came from 
Port Royal, first making a formal demand for surrender. 
On the 17th, a number of thirty-pounder Parrott guns 
having reached King's Bridge, I proceeded in person to the 
headquarters of Major-General Slocum, on the Augusta 
Road, and dispatched thence into Savannah, by flag of truce, 
a formal demand for the surrender of the place ; and on the 
following day received an answer from General Hardee re- 
fusing to surrender. 

" In the meantime further reconnoissances from our left 
flank had demonstrated that it was impracticable or unwise 



PREPARING TO ATTACK THE CITY. 413 

to push any considerable force across the Savannah River, 
for the enemy held the river opposite the city with iron-cUd 
gunboats, and could destroy any pontoons laid down by us 
between Hutchinson's Island and the South Carolina shore, 
which would isolate any force sent over from that flank. I 
therefore ordered General Slocum to get into position the 
siege guns and make all the preparations necessary to 
assault, and to report to me the earliest moment when he 
could be ready, while I should proceed rapidly round by the 
right and make arrangements to occupy the Union Cause- 
way from the direction of Port Royal. General Foster had 
already established a division of troops on the peninsula or 
neck between the Coosawatchie and Tullifinney Rivers, at 
the head of Broad River, from which position he could 
reach the railroad with his artillery. 

" I went to Port Royal in person, and made arrange- 
ments to reinforce that command by one or more divi- 
sions, under a proper officer, to assault and carry the 
railroad, and thence turn toward Savannah until it occu- 
pied the causeway in question. I went on board the 
Admiral's flagship, the ''Harvest Moon,' which put out 
to sea the night of the 20th. But che wind was high, 
and increased during the night, so that the pilot judged 
Ossabaw bar impassable, and ran into the Tybee, 
whence we proceeded through the inland channels into 
Warsaw Sound, and thence through Romney Marsh. But 
the ebb tide caught the ' Harvest Moon' and she was unable 
to make the passage. Admiral Dahlgren took me in his 
barge, and pulling in the direction of Vernon River we met 
the army tug ' Red Legs,' bearing a message from my Ad- 
jutant, Captain Dayton, of that morning, the 21st, to the 
effect that ©ur troops were in possession of the enemy's 
lines, and were advancing without opposition into Savan- 



4l4 FRUnS OF THE CAPTURE, 

nah, the enemy having evacuated the place during the pre- 
vious night. 

" Admiral Dahlgren proceeded up the Vernon River in 
kis barge, while I transferred to the tug, in which I pro- 
ceeded to Fort McAllister, and thence to the rice-mill ; and 
on the morning of the 22d rode into the city of Savannah, 
already occupied by our troops. 

" I was very much disappointed that Hardee had es- 
caped with his garrison, and had to content myself with the 
material fruits of victory without the cost to life which 
would have attended a general assault. The substantial re- 
sults will be more clearly set forth in the tabular statements 
of heavy ordnance and other public property acquired, and 
it will suffice here to state that the important city of Savan- 
nah, with its valuable harbor and river, was the chief object 
of the campaign. With it we acquire all the forts and heavy 
ordnance in its vicinity, with large stores of ammunition, 
shot and shells, cotton, rice, and other valuable products of 
the country. We also gain locomotives and cars, which, 
though of little use to us in the present condition of the 
railroads, are a serious loss to the enemy ; as well as four 
steamboats gained, and the loss to the enemy of the iron- 
clad ' Savannah,' one ram and three transports, blown up or 
burned by them the night before. 

" Formal demand having been made for the surrender, 
and having been refused, I contend that everything within 
the line of intrenchments belongs to the United States ; and 
I shall not hesitate to use it, if necessary, for public pur- 
poses. But inasmuch as the inhabitants generally have 
manifested a friendly disposition, I shall disturb them as lit- 
tle as possible consistently with the military rights of pres- 
ent and future military commanders, without remitting the 
least our just rights as captors. 



RESULTS OF THE MARCH. 417 

"After having made the necessary orders for the disposi- 
tion of the troops in and about Savannah, I ordered Cap- 
tain O. M. Poe, Chief Engineer, to make a thorough 
examination of the enemy's works in and about Savannah, 
with a view to making it conform to our future uses. New 
Hnes of defenses will be built, embracing the city proper, 
Forts Jackson, Thunderbolt, and Pulaski retained, with 
slight modifications in their armament and rear defenses. 
All the rest of the enemy's forts will be dismantled and 
destroyed, and their heavy ordnance transferred to Hilton 
Head, where it can be more easily guarded. Our base of 
supplies will be established in Savannah, as soon as the very 
difficult obstructions placed in the river can be partially 
removed. These obstructions at present offer a very seri- 
ous impediment to the commerce of Savannah, consisting 
of crib-work of logs and timber heavily bolted together, 
and filled with the cobble-stones which formerly paved the 
streets of Savannah. All the channels below the city were 
found more or less filled with torpedoes, which have been 
removed by order of Admiral Dahlgren, so that Savannah 
already fiKfills the important part it was designed in our 
plans for the future. 

" In thus sketching the course of events connected with 
this campaign, I have purposely passed lightly over the 
march from Atlanta to the seashore. . because it was made 
in four or more columns, sometimes at a distance of fifteen or 
twenty miles from each other, and it was impossible for me 
to attend but one. Therefore I have left it to the army and 
corps commanders to describe in their own language the 
events which attended the march pf their respective 
columns. These reports are herewith submitted, and I beg 
to refer to them for further details. I would merely sum 
up the advantages which I conceive have accrued to us by 
this march. 



4l8 DAMAGE DONE TO THE REBELS. 

" Our former labors in North Georgia had demonstrated 
the truth that no large army, carrying with it the necessary 
stores and baggage, can overtake and capture an inferior 
force of the enemy in his own country. Therefore, no al- 
ternative was left me but the one I adopted, namely, to di- 
vide my forces, and with one part act offensively against 
the enemy's resources, while with the other I should act 
defensively, and invite the enemy to attack, risking the 
chances of battle. In this conclusion I have been singu- 
larly sustained by the results. General Hood, who, as I 
have heretofore described, had moved to the westv/ard near 
Tuscumbia, with a view to decoy me away from Georgia, 
finding himself mistaken, was forced to choose either to 
pursue me or to act offensively against the other part left 
in Tennessee. He adopted the latter course, and General 
Thomas has wisely and well fulfilled his part in the grand 
scheme in drawing Hood well up into Tennessee until he 
could concentrate all his own troops, and then turn upon 
Hood, as he has done, and destroy or fatally cripple his 
army. That part of my army is so far removed from me 
that I leave, with perfect confidence, its management and 
history to General Thomas. 

" I was thereby left with a well-appointed army to sever 
the enemy's only remaining railroad communication east- 
ward and westward for over one hundred miles, namely, the 
Georgia State Railroad, which is broken up from Fairburn 
Station to Madison and the Oconee, and the Central Rail- 
road from Gordon clear to Savannah, with numerous break's 
on the latter road from Gordon to E itonton, and from Mii- 
len to Augusta, and the Savannah and Gulf Railroad. We 
have also consumed the corn and fodder in the region of 
country thirty miles on either side of a line from Atlanta 
to Savannah, as also the sweet potatoes, cattle, hogs, sheep, 



TRIBUTES TO HIS OFFICERS AND MEN. 419 

and poultry, and have carried away more than ten thousand 
horses and mules, as well as a countless number of their 
slaves. I estimate the dama^je done to the State of Georijia 
and its military resources at $100,000,000, at least 5^0,000, 
o>0 of which has inured to our advantage, and the remain- 
der is simple waste and destruction. This may seem a hard 
species of warfare, but it brings the sad realities of war 
home to those who have been directly or indirecrly instru- 
mental in involving us in its attendant calamities. 

" This campaign has also placed this branch of my army 
in a position from which other great military results may 
be attempted, beside leaving in Tennessee and North Ala- 
bama a force which is amply sufficient to meet all the 
chances of war in that region of our country. 

" Since the capture of Atlanta my staff is unchanged, save 
that Generrl Barry, Chief of Artillery, has been absent, sick, 
since our leaving Kingston, Surgeon Moore, United States 
Army, is Chief Medical Director in place of Surgeon Kit- 
toe, relieved to resume his proper duties as a Medical In- 
spector. Major Hitchcock, A. A. G., has also been added 
to my staff, and has been of great assistance in the field and 
office. Captain Dayton still remains as my Adjutant-Gen- 
eral. All have, as formerly, fulfilled their parts to my entire 
satisfaction. 

" In the body of my army I feel a just pride. Generals 
Howard and Slocum are gentlemen of. singular capacity 
and intelligence, thorough soldiers and patriots, working 
day and night, not for themselves, but for their country and 
their men. General Kilpatrick, who commanded the cav- 
alry of this army, has handled it with spirit and dash to my 
entire satisfaction, and kept a superior force of the enemy's 
ca\'alry from even approaching our infantry columns or 
wagon trains. His report is full and graphic. All the divi- 



420 TRIBUTES TO HIS OFFICERS AND MEN. 

sion and brigade commanders merit my personal and official 
thanks, and I shall spare no efforts to secure them commis- 
sions equal to the rank they have exercised so well. As to 
the rank and file, they seem so full of confidence in them- 
selves, that I doubt if they want a compliment from me ; 
but I must do them the justice to say that whether called 
on to fight, to march, to wade streams, to make roads, clear 
out obstructions, build bridges, make ' corduroy,' or tear up 
railroads, they have done it with alacrity and a degree of 
cheerfulness unsurpassed. A little loose in foraging, they 
' did some things they ought not to have done,' yet on the 
whole they have supplied the wants of the army with as 
little violence as could be expected, and as little loss as I 
calculated. Some of these foraging parties had encounters 
with the enemy which would in ordinary times rank as re- 
spectable battles. The behavior of our troops in Savannah 
has been so manly, so quiet, so perfect, that I take it as the 
best evidence of discipline and true courage. Never was a 
hostile city, filled with women and children, occupied by a 
large army with less disorder, or more system, order, and 
good government. The same general and generous spirit 
of confidence and good feeling pervades the army which it 
has ever afforded me especial pleasure to report on former 
occasions. 

"I avail myself of this occasion to express my heart- 
felt thanks to Admiral Dahlgren and the officers and men 
of his fleet and also to General Foster and his command, 
for the hearty welcome given us on our arrival at the 
coast, and for their steady and prompt co-operation in all 
measures tending to the result accomplished. 

" I send herewith a map of the country through which 
we have passed ; reports from General Howard, General 
Slocum, and General Kilpatrick, and their subordinates 



TRIBUTES TO II IS OFFICERS AND MEN. 42 1 

respectively, with the usual lists of captured property 
killed, wounded and missing, prisoners of war taken and 
rescued, as also copies of all papers illustrating the cam- 
paign, all of which are respectfully submitted by 
" Your obedient servant, 

■ " W. T. Sherman, Major-General." 



CHAPTER XXVI. 

THE CAROLINA CAMPAIGN. 

In the Cradle ©f Secession— The Occupation and Destruction of 
Columbia — Reprisals against Wade Hampton; Men— Arrival at 
Goldsbjro — Summing up the KEbULTs of ihe Nokihvvaku aiakch 
— Work accomplisheu by the Engineers. 

Sherman always contended that the war should have 

closed on July 4, 1863. The fall of Vicksburg and the 

battle of Gettysburg sealed the doom of the rebellion, and 

the Southern leaders should have recognized that fact and 

accepted the situation. But even now, with Atlanta and 

Savannah captured. Hood's army destroyed, and a pathway 

driven by the Union army through the heart of the South, 

they were still stubborn and resolved, as they expressed it, 

to hold out till the last man died in the last ditch. It was 

inevitable that this attitude should be exasperating to the 

National leaders. Sherman himself doubtless felt a certain 

ffrim determination, since the South wanted more war, to 

give it war to its heart's content, and to carry the war 

through South Carolina, the cradle of the rebellion. His 

army at Savannah was in good condition. In twenty-seven 

days it had marched more than three hundred miles, with 

losses of five officers and fifty-eight men killed, thirteen 

officers and two hundred and thirty-two men wounded, and 

one officer and two hundred and fifty-eight men missing. 

.S^n-en thousand slaves had joined the march to the coast. 
422 



I.n\COLN'S LETTER OF 1HA.\KS. ^22 

Twenty thousand bales of cotton had been burned and 
three hundred and twenty miles of raih'oad destroyed, in- 
cluding all the stations, engine-houses, turn-tables, etc. Ten 
million pounds of corn had been captured and an equal 
amount of fodder; more than 1,200,000 rations of meat, 
919,000 of bread, 483,000 of coffee, 581,000 of sugar, and 
137,000 of salt. 

Nor had the demoralization of the enemy been less than 
the material loss inflicted upon him. Not only had the 
army swept the pathway thirty miles wide through the 
heart of Georgia, but it had sent out detachments in this 
direction and that, menacing many points which it did not 
actually strike. For four weeks, therefore, all of Georgia, 
Alabama, Florida, and South Carolina suffered painful sus- 
pense, not knowing whither the army would march next. 
For this reason, also, it had been impracticable for the rebels 
to mass any considerable force against Sherman, even had 
such a force been at their command, for they did not know 
where to meet him. 

It is not to be wondered at that universal rejoicing was 
caused at the North by the results of this campaign, nor 
that those who had once distrusted Sherman as a man of 
erratic judgment, now lavished upon him exuberant confi- 
dence and praise. Not even Grant himself was more ap- 
plauded. It was from the depths of an appreciative heart 
that the President wrote to Sherman as follows : 

" Executive Mansion, 
" Washington, D. C., Dec. 26, 1864. 

" My Dear General Sherman 

" Many, many thanks for your Christmas gift — the cap- 
ture of Savannah. 



.^. SHE Ji MAN'S TKIBU7E 70 JUS AJiMY. 

" When you were about to leave Atlanta for the Atlantic 
coast, I was anxious, if not fearful ; but feeling you were 
the better judge, and remembering that * nothing risked 
nothing gained,' I did not interfere. Now, the undertaking 
being a success, the honor is all yours, for I believe none 
of us went further than to acquiesce. And taking the work 
of General Thomas into the count, as it should be taken, it 
is indeed a great success. 

" Not only does it afford the obvious and immediate 
military advantages, but in showing to the world that your 
army could be divided, putting the stronger part to an im- 
portant new service, and yet leaving enough to vanquish the 
old opposing forces of the whole — Hood's army — it brings 
those who sat in darkness to see a great light. 

" But what next ? I suppose it will be safe if I leave 
General Grant and yourself to decide. 

" Please make my grateful acknowledgments to your 
whole army, officers and men. 

" Yours very truly, 

" A. Lincoln." 

With- characteristic generosity Sherman, in his official 
report on the campaign, gave due credit to his subordinates 
for their work. He said : 

" Generals Howard and Slocum are gentlemen of singu- 
lar capacity and intelligence, thorough soldiers and patriots, 
working day and night, not for themselves, but for their 
country and their men. General Kilpatrick, who com- 
manded the cavalry of this army, has handled it with spirit 
and dash to my entire satisfaction, and kept a superior force 
of the enemy's cavalry from even approaching our infantry 
columns or wagon trains. All the division and brigade 
commanders merit my personal and official thanks, and I 



THE MILITARY SITUATION. 

shall spaie no efforts to secure them commissions equal to 
the rank they have exercised so well. 

" As to the rank and file, they seem so full of confidence 
in themselves that I doubt if they want a compliment from 
me ; but I must do them the justice to say that, whether 
called on to fight, to march, to wade streams, to make roads, 
clear out obstructions, build bridges, make ' corduroy,' or 
tear up railroads, they have done it with alacrity and a de- 
gree of cheerfulness unsurpassed. A little loose in forao-- 
ing, they ' did some things they ought not to have done,' 
yet, on the whole, they have supplied the wants of the army 
with as little violence as could be expected, and as little loss 
as I calculated. Some of these foraging parties had en- 
counters with the enemy which would, in ordinary times, 
rank as respectable battles." 

Concerning the general situation of affairs in the South, 
or in that part of it, Sherman wrote : 

" Delegations of the people of Georgia continue to corae 
in, and I am satisfied that, by judicious handling and by a 
little respect shown to their prejudices, we- can create a schism 
in Jeff Davis's dominions. All that I have conversed with 
realized the truth that slavery as an institution is defunct, 
and the only questions that remain are what disposition 
shall be made of the negroes themselves. I confess myself 
unable to offer a complete solution for these questions, and 
prefer to leave it to the slower operations of time. We 
have given the initiative, and can afford to await the work- 
ing of the experiment. 

" As to trade matters, I also think it is to our interest to 
keep the Southern people somewhat dependent on the arti- 
cles of commerce to which they have hitherto been accus- 
tomed. General Grover is now here, and will, I think, be 
able to handle this matter judiciously, and may gradually 



^26 WHAT NEXT. 

relax, and invite cotton to come in in large quantities. But 
at first we should manifest no undue anxiety on that score, 
for the rebels would at once make use of it as a power 
against us. We should assume a tone of perfect contempt 
for cotton and everything else in comparisoxi with the great 
object of the war — the restoration of the Union, with all its 
right and power. If the rebels burn cotton as a war meas- 
ure, they simply play into our hands by taking away the 
only product of value they have to exchange in foreign 
ports for war-ships and munition. By such a course, also, 
they alienate the feelings of a large class of small farmers, 
who look to their little parcels of cotton to exchange for 
food and clothing for their families." », 

Early in January the Secretary of War, Mr. Stanton, vis- 
ited Sherman at Savannah and spent several days with him 
there. They discussed together many important topics, such 
as the disposition of the cotton, treatment of the negroes, etc. 
The future of the war was also carefully considered, and 
Sherman had much correspondence with Grant and Hal- 
Icck on the same subject. Sherman's own idea was that 
the rebels should be thoroughly whipped aud their pride 
broken. He would march to the innermost recesses of 
their coLintry and strike terror to every disloyal heart. 
Toward the negroes his attitude was kindly, and he favored 
enlisting them in the army and forming black regiments and 
brigades. 

And now the march Northward, to effect a junction with 
the army of the Potomac and end of the war by capturing 
both Lee and Johnston, was begun. It was Sherman him- 
self who planned this Northward march through the Caro- 
iinaSj and it was not without opposition that he did so. 
Grant wanted him to come on at once to Virgin'a by sea, 
and Sherman at first desired it. But a few days later he 



lilA R cniXG XOR imVA KD. 

wrote to Grant that he wanted to march thither by lai..., 
by the way of Columbia, S. C, and Raleigh, N. C. " You 
know," he said, " how much better troops arrive by a land 
march than when carried by transports . . . This march 
is necessary to the war. It must be made sooner or later, 
and I am in the proper position for it. I ask no re-enforce- 
ment, but simply with the utmost activity at all other points, 
so that the enemy may not concentrate too powerfully 
against me, I expect Davis will move heaven and earth to 
resist me, for the success of my army is fatal to his dream 
of empire." Grant finally consented to the march, to Sher- 
man's delight, and by January 15 the army was ready to 
move Northward. 

First, 'ioward led the right wing, all but Corse's Division, 
by water to Beaufort and thence to Pocataligo, half way to 
Charleston, and after a sharp engagement, established a sub- 
depot there, with easy water connection with Bjaufort and 
Hilton Head. Slocum, with the left wing. Corse's Division, 
and Kilpatrick, with the cavalry, went up the Savannah 
and via Sistus Ferry to Robertsville, S. C, some miles fur- 
ther inland. On January 18 Sherman turned the command 
at Savannah over to General Foster, and then went up to 
join Howard. 

Floods delayed Slocum and his army, but on February 
I Howard moved forward. On February 3 he crossed the 
Salkehatchie, marching for three miles in bitter cold 
weather through water from two to three feet deep, while 
rain was falling in torrents. The Edisto was next crossed 
and the whole army pushed on rapidly. Kilpatrick's 
calvary, meanwhile, made various raids and had some 
skirmishing with Wheeler. Sherman pursued his old pol- 
icy of directing no wilful damage to private property, but 
the rumor got abroad that he was pillaging and burning 



428 BURNING COTTON 

houses everywhere. So Wheeler presently wrote to him 
saying that unless he stopped burning houses, he, Wheeler, 
would burn all the cotton in the country. Sherman replied: 

" I hope you will burn all the cotton, and save us the 
trouble. We don't want it. It has been a curse to our 
country. All you don't burn I will. As to private houses 
occupied by peaceful families my orders are not to mo- 
lest or disturb them, and I think my orders are obeyed. 
Vacant houses, being of no use to anybody, I care little 
about, as the owners have thought them of little use to 
themselves ; I don't wish to have them destroyed, but do 
not take much care to preserve them." 

Sherman was as familiar with this country as he had 
been with Northern Georgia, since he had often, years be- 
fore, come up here on hunting excursions while he was sta- 
tioned near Charleston. The march was made with great 
difficulty, however, as floods prevailed in the lowlands and 
the weather was most inclement. By the middle of Febru- 
ary they reached Columbia, and Sherman issued the fol- 
lowing orders for the occupation of that city : 

" General Howard will cross the Saluda and Broad Rivers 
as near their mouths as possible, occupy Columbia, destroy 
the public buildings, railroad property, manufacturing and 
machine shops, but will spare libraries, asylums, and private 
dwellings. He will then move to Winnsborough, destroy- 
ing utterly that section of the railroad. He will also cause 
all bridges, trestles, water-tanks, and depots on the railroad 
back to the Wateree to be burned, switches broken, and 
such other destruction as he can find time to accomplish 
consistent with proper celerity." 

A few cannon shots were fired into Colum.bia to drive 
away the lingering rebel troops. Before abandoning the 
city, the rebels burned the railroad station and fired some 



BURNING OF THE CITY. 429 

long piles of cotton bales. When Sherman and Howard 
rode into the city they found the ruins of the buildings still 
smouldering and the cotton still burning. Howard and his 
troops took possession of the city, and worked vigorously 
to put out the fires which had been started by the rebels, 
and spread rapidly by a high wind. At night the wind be- 
came furious, and the air was soon filled with sparks and 
bits of burning cotton. The result was that, despite the 
utmost efforts of the Union troops, the heart of the city was 
burned, including several churches and schools and the old 
State House. Sherman wss afterward accused by several 
writers of having himself deliberately ordered the burning 
of the city. The falsity of this charge has been abund- 
antly demonstrated. Sherman himself, doubtless with en- 
tire justice, threw the responsibility upon the rebel general, 
Wade Hampton, and his cavalrymen, who were the last to 
ev^acuate the city. Said Sherman in his official report : 

" I disclaim on the part of my army any agency in this 
fire, but, on the contrary, claim that we saved what of Col- 
umbia remains unconsumed. And, without hesitation, I 
charge General Wade Hampton with having burned his 
own city of Columbia, not with a malicious intent, or as the 
manifestation of a silly * Roman stoicism,' but from folly 
and want of sense, in filling it with lint, cotton, and tinder. 
Our officers and men on duty worked well to extinguish 
the flames ; but others not on duty, including the officers 
who had long been imprisoned there, rescued by us, may 
have assisted in spreading the fire after it had once begun, 
and may have indulged in unconcealed joy to see the ruin 
of the Capital of South Carolina." 

Columbia, the political capital of the foremost secession 
State, fell on February 17, and the next day Charleston, 
the commercial and social capital, was captured. Sherman 



.,_ IN NORTH CAROLINA. 

then pressed on toward North Carolina. Kilpatrick re- 
ported on February 22 that Wade Hampton's cavalry had 
murdered some of his men, and left their bodies by the way- 
side with labels on them threatening a like late to all for- 
agers. Sherman promptly ordered him to retaliate upon 
the rebels, and to Hampton he wrote as follows : 

" General — It is officially reported to me that our forag- 
ing parties are murdered after being captured, and labelled, 
' Death to All Foragers.' One instance is that of a lieutenant 
and seven men near Chester, and another of twenty, near a 
ravine eight rods from the main road, and three miles from 
Easterville. I have ordered a similar number of prisoners 
in our hands to be disposed of in like manner. I hold 
about one thousand prisoners, captured in various ways, 
and can stand it as long as you, but I hardly think these 
murders are committed with your knowledge, and would 
suggest that you give notice to your people at large that 
every life taken by them simply results in the death of one 
of your Confederates." 

Chesterfield was captured on March 2 and Cheraw on 
March 3. On the 8th Sherman crossed the line into 
North Carolina, and now the weather became as fair as 
it had formerly been foul. The troops entered Fay- 
etteville in high spirits on March 1 1 and remained there 
several days. The army now nnmbered 65,000 fighting 
men, with 25,000 non-combatants, chiefly negro women 
and children, 40,000 horses and cattle, and 3,000 wagons. 
On March 15, a stormy day, Slocum was at Averysboro, 
and encountered the enemy, infantry and artillery, in force, 
soon driving all before him. Near Bentonville, on the i8th, 
there was another battle, with the same result, both wings, 
SlocMTi and Howard, being engaged. Johnston was now in 
con-iiinJ of the rebel armies ahead of Sherman and had 



THE CAROLINA CAMPAIGN. 43! 

gathered together all available troops from all directions for 
a last struggle. Sherman occupied Goldsboro on March 21, 
and effected a junction with Terry and Scofield, who had 
after Hood's defeat been brought hither, and thus had not 
less than 100,000 men between Goldsboro and Benton- 
ville. This concluded the hostile part »f the march 
through the Carolinas, In reviewing the campaign, Sher- 
man said : 

" I cannot, even with any degree of precision, reca- 
pitulate the vast amount of injury done the enemy, or the 
quantity of guns and materials of war captured and de- 
stroyed. In general terms, we have traversed the country 
from Savannah to Goldsboro, with an average breadth of 
forty miles, consuming all the forage, cattle, hogs, sheep, 
poultry, cured meats, corn-meal, etc. The. public enemy, 
instead of drawing supplies from that region to feed his 
armies, will be compelled to send provisions from other 
quarters to feed the inhabitants. A map herewith, prepared 
by my chief engineer, Colonel Poe, with the routes of the 
four corps and cavalry, will show at a glance the country 
traversed. Of course the abandonment to us by the enemy 

Colonel Poe, the chief engineer of the army, said in his 
report of the march : 

" It involved an immense amount of bridging of e\'ery 
kind known in active campaigning, and some four hundred 
miles of corduroying. The latter was a very simple affair, 
where there were plenty offence rails, but, in their absence, 
involved the severest labor. It was found that a fence on 
each side of the road furnished enough rails for corduroy- 
ing it so as to make it passable. I estimate tlie amount of 
corduroying at fully one hundred miles for each army corps. 
This is a moderate estimate, and would make for the four 
corps some four hundred miles of corduroying. The 



FEATS OF ENGINEERING, 

cavalry did very little of this kind of work, as their trains 
moved with the infantry columns. 

" The right wing built fifteen pontoon bridges, having an 
aggregate length of 3,720 feet ; the left wing built about 
4,000 feet, being a total of one and one-half miles. There 
were no measurements of the amount of trestle bridge built, 
but it was not so great" 



CHAPTER XXVII. 

THE END OF THE WAR. 

Lincoln, Grant, and Sherman at City Point — Surrender of Lee 
— Murder of Lincoln — Negotiations with Johnston — Stanton's 
Disapproval — An Outcry Against Sherman — The Grand Review 
— Sherman's Refusal to Shake Hands with Stanton — Farewell 
Address to the Army. 

Soon after his arrival at Goldsboro, Sherman received a 
long letter from Grant warmly congratulating him on the 
successful completion of what was his third campaign since 
leaving the Tennessee River, less than a year before. 

Grant cordially gave him a brief but comprehensive ac- 
count of the situation of the Army of the Potomac and of 
Lee's Army, and of his own plans for the immediate future. 
He already pointed Appomattox as the place at or near 
which he hoped to bring affairs to a crisis. Sherman de- 
cided thereupon to go up to City Point and have a personal 
interview with Grant. He issued orders, leaving Schoficld 
in command and giving general directions for the operation 
of the army in his absence. On the evening of March 27 
he reached City Point and was welcomed with salutes from 
Porter's fleet. A number of officers met him at the wharf 
and escorted him to headquarters, where he met Grant for 
the first time since the memorable leave-taking in Cin- 
cinnati. Their meeting was characteristic of the two men 
and deserves to be made historic. Sherman spoke first : 

4-' 



.-g A NOTABLE GROUP. 

" How are you, Grant?" was all he said. " How are you, 
Sherman ?" was Grant's reply. Then Sherman, looking 
around at the other officers who were assembled remarked : 
" I didn't expect to find all you fellows here." That was 
all. No more time was wasted in compliments, but the two 
generals in a few minutes were seated at a table pouring 
over maps and planning the ending of the war just as at 
Cincinnati they had planned Sherman's Georgia Campaign. 

Sherman quickly indicated on the map what he thought 
best to do. tie would bring his army up to Weldon, where 
it would be within supporting distance of Grant, and where 
he could quickly either join Grant or move westward and 
head off Lee. Grant hesitated to have him come so near, 
fearing that it would alarm Lee and put him to flight before 
he could be captured. He told Sherman that he would 
best wait awhile while the Army of the Potomac moved up 
to Dinwiddle in the hope of forcing Lee to fight. 

Then the two generals went to the steamboat, " River 
Queen," to see Lincoln, who was on board. A notable trio 
they made — Lincoln, the tall, round-shouldered, loose- 
jointed, large-featured, deep-eyed, with a smiling face, and 
dressed in black, with a fashionable silk hat on his head ; 
Grant, shorter, stouter and more compactly built, wearing 
a military hat with a broad brim, a cigar in his mouth, and 
his hands in his trouser's pockets ; Sherman, almost as tall, 
but more sineury than Lincoln, with sandy whiskers closely 
cropped, and sharp, flashing eyes; his coat worn and 
shabby, his hat shapeless, and his trousers tucked into his 
boot-tops. Sherman did most of the talking, speaking 
hurriedly and moving about, often gesticulating. Presently 
Meade and Sheridan joined them : the former tall and thin, 
stooping a little, with gray beard and spectacles ; the latter 
the shortest of all the party, with bronzed face and quick, 
energetic movements. 



GRANT'S FLA AS. ..y 

It was several times suggested that some of Sherman's 
men, or some troops from the West, should be added to 
the Army of the Potomac, bat this Grant would not listen 
to. He deemed it wisest that the Army of the Potomac 
shrould " finish up the job." They finally decided that Sher- 
man should come up to the Roanoke River, near Gaston, and 
if not needed to head off Lee, make Johnston's army his ob- 
jective point, prepared, above all, to keep Lee and Johnston 
from joining forces. Says Grant: 

" I explained to him the movement I had ordered to 
commence on the 29th of March, that if it should not 
prove as entirely successful as I hoped, I would cut the 
cavalry loose to destroy the Danville and S®uthside rail- 
roads, and thus deprive the enemy of further supplies, and 
also prevent the rapid concentration of Lee's and John- 
ston's armies. I had spent days of anxiety lest each 
moment should bring the report that the enemy had re- 
treated the night before. I was firmly convinced that Sher- 
man's crossing the Roanoke would be the signal for Lee to 
move. With Johnston and Lee combined, a long, tedious, 
and expensive campaign, consuming most of the summer, 
might become necessary." 

W^ith Grant's operations against Lee, and their successful 
termination we have not here to deal, but with Sherman's 
movements, which were directed against Johnston. Sher- 
man had said at City Point, " I can command my own 
terms, and Johnston will have to yield." Lincoln had re- 
plied to this : " Get him to surrender on any terms." Grant 
said nothing about it, so it was inferred that he approved of 
Lincoln's remark. On April 10 Sherman's army moved 
toward Smithfield, reaching that place the next day and 
finding it abandoned by Johnston. That night word came 
from Grant that Lee had surrendered, and Sherman an- 



, o MURDER OF LINlOLN. 

nounced the thrilling news to his army in the following 
terms : 

" The General commanding announces to the army that 
he has official notice from General Grant that General Lee 
surrendered to him his entire army on the 9th instant, at 
Appomattox Court House, Virginia. 

" Glory to God and our country, and all honor to our 
comrades in arms, toward whom we are marching ! 

" A little more labor, a little more toil on our part, the 
great race is won, and our Government stands regenerated 
after four long years of war." 

It was now evident that Johnston must quickly come to 
terms, and Sherman was not surprised to receive, on April 
14, a letter from the rebel general requesting a truce and 
a conference. Sherman's chief subordinates dreaded the 
consequences of chasing Johnston's army to the West or 
back to the South, and agreed with Sherman that his sur- 
render should be obtained on any reasonable conditions. 
But before this could be effected, the direadful news came of 
the Good Friday tragedy at Washington and of the death 
of Lincoln. This saddening event materially changed the 
feeling of the Washington authorities toward the rebel 
armies, and doubtless had much to do with the disagree- 
ment between the former and Sherman that followed. 

On the beautiful morning of April 17, Sherman and 
Johnston met near Durham's Station. Sherman first con- 
veyed to Johnston the news of the murder of Lincoln, at 
which Johnston was deeply affected. They then discussed 
the terms of surrender and the best means of disbanding 
the rebel army. Sherman urged Johnston to accept the 
same terms from him that Lee had accepted from Grant, 
but Johnston hesitated, and asked for a few days' delay, 
during which time he hoped to hunt up the fugitive Jeffer- 



FMST TERMS WITH JOHNSTON. 43^ 

son Davis and get him to consent to a surrender of all the 
remaining Southern armies. 

A second interview took place the next day. Johnston 
had not been able to find Davis, but he brought with him 
to the meeting John C. Breckinridge, the rebel Secretary 
of War. The conference broke up without settling the sur- 
render, but Sherman prepared a memorandum, on which 
there was agreement, stating the terms on which he pro- 
posed to receive Johnston's surrender. This he forwarded 
to Washington for approval. It read as follows : 

"Memorandum or basis of Agreement, made this i8th 
day of April, A. D. 1865, near Durham's Station, in the 
State of North Carolina, by and between General Joseph E. 
Johnston, commanding the Confederate Army, and Major- 
General W. T. Sherman, commanding the Army of the 
United States, both present. 

" I. The contending armies now in the field to maintain 
the status quo until notice is given by the commanding gen- 
eral of either to his opponent, and reasonable time, say 
forty-eight hours, allowed. 

" II. The Confedorate armies now in existence to be dis- 
banded, and conducted to their several State capitals, there 
to deposit their arms and public property in the State Ar- 
senal, and each officer and man to execute and file an agree- 
ment to cease from acts of war, and to abide the action of 
both State and Federal authorities. The number of arms 
and munitions of war to be reported to the Chief of Ord- 
nance at Washington City, subject to the future action of 
the Congress of the United States, and in the meantime to 
be used solely to maintain peace and order within the bor- 
ders of the States respectively. 

"III. The recognition by the E.xecutive of the United 
States of the several State Governments on their officers 



440 S'HERMA.V'S LETTER TO GRANT. 

self, which, if approved by the President of the United 
States, will produce peace from the Potomac to the Rio 
Grande. Mr. Breckinridge was present at the interview, in 
the capacity of a major-general, and satisfied me of the 
ability of General Johnston to carry out to the full extent 
the terms of this agreement; and, if you will get the Presi- 
dent to simply indorse the copy, and commission me to 
carry out the terms, I will follow them t<& the conclusion. 
You will observe that it is an absolute submission of the 
enemy to the lawful authorities of the United States, and dis- 
perses his armies absolutely ; and the point to which I 
attach most importance is, that the disposition and dis- 
persement of the armies is done in such a manner as to 
prevent their breaking up into guerrilla bands. On the 
other hand, we can retain just as much of an army as we 
please. I agree to the mode and manner of the surrender 
of the armies set forth, as it gives the States the means of 
suppressing guerrillas, which we could not expect them to 
do if we strip them of all arms. 

" Both Generals Johnston and Breckinridge admitted that 
slavery was dead, and I could not insist on embracing it in 
such a paper, because it can be made with the States in 
detail. I know that all the men of substance South sin- 
cerely want peace, and I do not believe they will resort to 
war again during this century. I have no doubt but that 
they will, in the future, be perfectly subordinate to the laws 
of the United States. The moment my action in this matter 
is approved, I can spare five corps, and will ask for orders 
to leave General Schofield here with the loth Corps, and 
go myself with the 14th, 15th, 17th, 20th, and 23d Corps, 
via Burkesville and Gordonsville to Frederick or Hagers- 
town, there to be paid and mustered out. 

" The question of finance is now the chief one, and every 



SHE K MAN'S LETTER TO GRANT. 441 

and Legislatures taking the oath prescribed by the Consti- 
tution of the United States ; and where conflicting State 
governments have resulted from the war, the legitimacy of 
all shall be submitted to the Supreme Court of the United 
States. 

" IV. The re-establishment of all Federal courts in the 
several States, with powers as defined by the Constitution 
and laws of Congress. 

" V. The people and inhabitants of all States to be guar- 
anteed, so far as the Executive can, their political rights and 
franchise, as well their rights of person and property, as 
defined by the Constitution of the United States and of the 
States respectively. 

*' VI. The executive authority or government of the 
United States not to disturb any of the people by reason of 
the late war, so long as they live in peace and quiet and 
abstain from acts of armed hostility, and obey the laws in 
existence at the place of their residence. 

" VII. In general terms, it is announced that the war is 
to cease ; a general amnesty, so far as the Executive of the 
United States can command, on condition of the disband- 
ment of the Confederate armies, the distribution of arms, 
and the resumption of peaceful pursuits by officers and men 
hitherto composing said armies. 

" Not being fully empowered by our respective principals 
to fulfill these terms, we individually and officially pledge 
ourselves to promptly obtain authority, and will endeavor 
to carry out the above programme." 

This Sherman sent to Grant, inclosed with the following 
letter : 

"General: — I inclose herewith a copy of an agreement 
made this day between General Joseph E. Johnston and ni) - 



442 GJRANTS REPLY. 

soldier and officer not needed ought to go home at once. 
I would like to be able to begin the march North by 
May 1st. 

" I urge, on the part of the President, speedy action, as it 
is important to get the Confederate armies home, as well as 
our own. I am, with great respect, your obedient servant, 
"W. T. Sherman, Major-General Commanding." 

Grant's reply to Sherman was as follows : 

" General : — The basis of agreement entered into be- 
tween yourself and General J. E. Johnston for the disband- 
ment of the Southern army, and the extension of the au- 
thority of the General Government over all the territory be- 
longing to it, sent for approval of the President, is received. 

" I read it carefully myself before submitting it to the 
President and Secretary of War, and felt satisfied that it 
could not possibly be approved. My reasons for these 
views I will give you at another time in a more extended 
letter. 

" Your agreement touches upon questions of such vital 
importance that^ as I read, I addressed a note to the Secre- 
tary of War, notifying him of its receipt, and the importance 
of immediate action by the President, and suggested, in 
view of its importance, that the entire Cabinet be called to- 
gether, that all might give an expression of their opinions 
upon the matter. The result was a disapproval by the 
President of the basis laid down ; a disapproval of the nego- 
tiations altogether, except for the surrender of the army 
commanded by Johnston, and directions to me to notify 
you of the decision. I cannot do so better than by sending 
you the inclosed copy of a dispatch penned by the late 
President, though signed by the Secretary of War, in an- 
swer to me on sending a letter received from General Lee 



FINAL TERMS WITH JOHNSTON. ^- 

proposing to meet me for the purpose of submitting the 
question of peace to a convention of officers. 

" Please notify General Johnston, immediately on receipt 
of this, of the termination of the truce, and resume hostilities 
against his army at the earliest moment you can, acting in 
good faith. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

" U. S. Grant, Lieutenant-General." 

The dispatch inclosed by Grant with this letter was 
signed by Stanton. It stated that the agreement was totally 
disapproved, and that hostilities should be resumed at the 
earliest moment. " The President desires," added Stanton, 
" that you (Grant) proceed immediately to the headquarters 
of Major-General Sherman and direct operations against the 
enemy." Half distracted by the trying circumstances of 
the hour, Stanton had apparently lost faith in Sherman. 

Immediately upon receipt of this, Sherman notified Johns- 
ton that the truce would be ended in forty-eight hours, and 
renewed his demand for a surrender on the same terms as 
Lee's at Appomattox, Grant now proceeded to Raleigh, 
but did not assume command, preferring to let Sherman 
complete the work he had begun. He, however, urged 
Sherman to have another interview with Johnston, which 
the latter had requested, and which was accordingly held 
on April 26. At this meeting, Johnston, realizing that he 
was powerless to resist any longer, agreed to and signed the 
following convention : 

" Terms of militar\' Convention, entered into this Twenty- 
sixth (26th) day of April, 1865, at Bennett's House, near 
Durham Station, North Carolina, between General Joseph 
E. Johnston, commanding the Confederate Army, and 
Major-General W. T. Sherman, commanding the United 
States Army in North Carolina 



... ATTACKS UPON SHERMAN. 

" All acts of war on the part of the troops under Gen- 
eral Johnston's command to cease from this date. All 
arms and public property to be deposited at Greensboro, 
and delivered to an ordinance officer of the United States 
Army. Rolls of all officers and men to be made in dupli- 
cate, one copy to be retained by the commander of the 
troops, and the other to be given to an officer to be desit^- 
nated by General Sherman. Each officer and man to give 
his individual .obligation, in writing, not to take up arms 
against the government of the United States until properly 
released from this obligation. The side-arms of officers, 
and their private horses and baggage, to be retained by them. 

" This being done, all the officers and men will be per- 
mitted to return to their homes, not to be disturbed by the 
United States authorities so long as they observe their obli- 
gations, and the laws in force where they may reside. 

"W. T. Sherman, 
" Major-General, commanding the Army of the United States 

in North Carolina. 

"J. E. Johnston, 
" General commanding the Confederate State Army in North 

Carolina. 

" Approved. U. S. Grant, Lieutenant-General. 

" Raleigh, North Carolina, April 26, 1865." 

In the meantime intensely bitter attacks were made upon 
Sherman in the Northern press, for which the Washington 
government was largely responsible. Sherman was charged 
with exceeding his authority, with actual disloyalty, with 
acknowledging the validity of the rebel government, with 
attempting to re-establish rebel authority in the Southern 
States, and even to restore slavery. These attacks were as 
excessive as they were bitter, and after a time a reaction set 



THE CRAXD REVIEW. ^^ 

in. Sherman's worth was fully recognized, and he was 
hailed with acclaim as second only to Grant in the leader- 
ship of the National hosts. After these events Sherman, 
his army marching northward, reached Alexandria, Vir- 
ginia. He was so embittered against Stanton that he had 
determined not to enter the City of Washington but to re- 
main in camp with his arrsy. When Grant sent him word 
that the President wanted to see him, however, he went to 
the White House, and there learned that apart from Stan- 
ton the members of the Government had expressed no ill- 
will toward him. 

The war was now ended and the armies of the Union 
about to be disbanded. Grant proposed to accomplish this 
after a grand review in the broad avenues of Washington 
The Army of the Potomac was reviewed on May 23, and 
Sherman's army on the following day. There was a vast 
assemblage of the general public, as well as of all the officers 
of the Government to witness the event. Sherman's army 
was uniformed and equipped just as on a march in the field. 
There was no attempt at a special display. The foragers 
had their pack-trains loaded with provisions and forage, and 
the pioneer corps, composed of negroes, carried axes, 
spades, and shovels. Sherman, taking with him Howard, 
who had just been detached, rode at the head of the col- 
umn. He was greeted with cheers and pelted with flowers. 
As he passed the headquarters of General Augur he halted 
and raised his hat with profound respect to Secretary Sew- 
ard, who stood at the window wrapped in blankets, being 
too ill from his recent wounds to go to the reviewing stand 
with the President. When Sherman went to the reviewing 
stand he shook hands with President Johnson and with 
Grant, but curtly turned away from Stanton. 

Sherman's army n«vv consisted of 65,000 men in splendid 



,,A SHERMAN'S FAREWELL ORDERS. 

440 

condition. It is said he considered it the iinest army in ex- 
istence. For six hours and a half it marched along Penn- 
sylvania Avenue, and thus brought to a fitting conclusion 
the triumphant campaign of more than X-sno thousand miles 
in which it had been engaged. 

On May 30 Sherman formally took leave of his com- 
rades in the following special field orders : 

" The General commanding announces to the Armies ot 
the Tennessee and Georgia that the time has come for us to 
part. Our work is done, and armed enemies no longer 
defy us. Some of you will go to your homes, and others 
will be retained in military service until further orders. 

" And now that we are all about to separate to mingle 
with the civil world, it becomes a pleasing duty to recall to 
mind the situation of national affairs when, but little more 
than a year ago, we were gathered about the cliffs of Look- 
out Mountain, and all the future was wrapped in doubt and 
uncertainty. 

" Three armies had come together from distant fields, 
with separate histories, yet bound by one common cause — 
the union of our country and the perpetuation of the Gov- 
ernment of our inheritance. There is no need to recall to 
your memories Tunnel Hill, with Rocky-Face Mountain 
and Buzzard Roost Gap, and the ugly forts of Dalton be- 
hind. 

" We were in earnest, and paused not for danger and 
difficulty, but dashed through Snake Creek Gap and fell on 
Resaca ; then on to Etowah, to Dallas, Kenesaw, and the 
heats of summer found us on the banks of the Chatta- 
hoochee, far from home, and dependent on a single road for 
supplies. Again we were not to be held back by any ob- 
stacle, and crossed over and fought four hard battles for the 
possession of the citadel of Atlanta. That was the crisis of 



THE FINAL CAMPAIGN, 447 

our history, A doubt still clouded our future, but we 
solved the problem, destroyed Atlanta, struck boldly across 
the State of Georgia, severed all the main arteries of life to 
our enemy, and Christmas found us at Savannah. 

" Waiting there only long enough to fill our wagons, we 
again began a march which, for peril, labor, and results, 
will compare with any ever made by an organized army. 
The floods of the Savannah, the swamps of the Combahee 
and Edisto, the ' high hills ' and rocks of the Santee, the 
flat quagmires of the Pedee and Cape Fear Rivers, were all 
passed in midwinter, with its floods and rains, in the face of 
an accumulating enemy ; and, after the battles of Averys- 
boro' and Bentonsville, we once more came .out of the wil- 
derness, to meet our friends at Goldsboro. Even then we 
paused only long enough to get new clothing, to reload our 
wagons, again pushed on to Raleigh and beyond, until we 
met our enemy suing for peace instead of war, and offering 
to submit to the injured laws of his and our country. As 
long as that enemy was defiant, nor mountains, nor rivers, 
nor swamps, nor hunger, nor cold, had checked us ; but 
when he, who had fought us hard and persistently, ofifered 
submission, your General thought it wrong to pursue him 
farther, and negotiations followed, which resulted, as you all 
know, in his surrender. 

" How far the operations of this army contributed to the 
final overthrow of the Confederacy and the peace which 
now dawns upon us must be judged by others, not by us ; 
but that you have done all that men could do has been ad- 
mitted by those in authority, and we have a right to join in 
the universal joy that fills our land because the war is over, 
and our Government stands vindicated before the world by 
the joint action of the volunteer a-rmies and navy of the 
United States. 



. .g THE^FINAL CAMPAIGN. 

" To such as remain in the service, your General need 
only remind you that success in the past was due to hard 
work and discipline, and that the same work and discipline 
are equally important in the future. To such as go home, 
he will only say that our favored country is so grand, so 
extensive, so diversified in climate, soil, and productions 
that every man may find a home and occupation suited to 
his taste; none should yield to the natural impatience sure 
to result from our past life of excitement and adventure. 
You will be invited to seek new adventures abroad ; do not 
yield to the temptation, for it will lead only to death and 
disappointment. 

"Your General now bids you farewell, with the full be- 
lief that, as in war you have been good soldiers, so in peace 
you will make good citizens; and if, unfortunately, new war 
should arise in our country, ' Sherman's Army ' will be the 
first to buckle on its old armor, and come forth to defend 
and maintain th.e Government of our inheritance." 



CHAPTER XXVII. 

THE DUTIES OF PEACE. 

Aiding THE Pacific Railroad — A Fool's Errand to Mexico — Political 
Intrigues at Washington — The Tenure of Office Affair — Work 
AMONG THE Indians — A Trip to Europe — The Belknap Scandal — 
Sherman's Speech on Military Honor — Travels in the North- 
west — Yellowstone Park — Writing His Memoirs — Life in New 
York — Death of Mrs. Sherman. 

Soon after the " Grand Review " and his farewell to his 
faithful followers, Sherman went with his family to Chicago, 
to assist at a large fair held for the benefit of impoverished 
soldiers' families ; thence to Lancaster, Louisville and Nash- 
ville, visiting old friends. He was then, on June 27, 1865, 
put in command of the Military Division of the Missis- 
sippi, afterward changed to the Missouri, with headquarters 
at St. Louis. Immediately his attention was turned to the 
Pacific Railroad, then in course of construction. Many 
years before, when that great enterprise was scarcely 
dreamed of as a possibility, he had written of it to his 
brother, urging that such a road should be built, for the 
unification of the country, and saying that he would gladly 
give his life to see it successfully carried through. It was 
with much satisfaction that be witnessed the opening ot the 
first division of sixteen and a half miles of the Union 
Pacific, westward from Omaha. He admired the energy 
with which the road was pushed forward, and looked upon 
449 



450 LIEUTENANT GENERAL. 

its completion, on July 15, 1869, as "one of the greatest 
and most beneficent achievements " of the human race. It 
was to facilitate the building of the road by protecting it 
from the Indians that Sherman persuaded the President, in 
March, 1866, to establish the new Military Department of 
the Platte and to place strong bodies of troops at various 
points along the line. 

As the mustering out of the army proceeded, many 
changes in organization occurred. The most notable was 
that of July 25, 1866, when Grant was made a full General 
and Sherman was made Lieutenant General. At the same 
time political feeling was running high at Washington. 
President Johnson had virtually left the Republican party, 
and was at loggerheads with the majority of Congress. 
Grant was looked to as the coming President, and accord- 
ingly many of Johnson's friends manifested much jealousy 
and hostility toward him. Sherman was in the west and so 
kept aloof from these controversies and intrigues, for which 
he had no love. But he maintained his old friendship with 
Grant, and inclined toward his side of every disputed ques- 
tion. 

While travelling on duty in New Mexico, in September, 
1866, he was summoned to Washington, in haste. Going 
thither, he reported to Grant, who told him he did not know 
jvhy the President had sent for him, unless in connection 
with Mexican affairs. Maximilian, supported by French 
troops, still held the imperial crown of that country, but 
was steadily being driven to the wall by the Republicans, 
who had elected Juarez President. The United States was 
about to send the Hon. Lewis Campbell thither as Minister, 
accredited to Juarez as the rightful head of the State, and 
President Johnson had ordered Grant to accompany him as 
an escort. Grant told Sherman that he would decline to 



THE TENURE OF OFFICE AFFAIR. 453 

obey this order as an illegal one, on the ground that the 
President had no right to send him out of the country on a 
diplomatic errand unaccompanied by troops; he believed it 
was a trick of Johnson's, to get rid of him. 

Then Sherman went to the President, who was very glad 
to see him. Said Johnson : " I am sending General Grant 
to Mexico, and I want you to command the army here in 
his absence." " But," said Sherman, " Grant will not go !" 
That startled Johnson, and he began arguing to show the 
need there was of Grant's going. Sherman repeated the 
positive statement that Grant would not go, and added that 
he did not think the President in that matter could afford 
to quarrel with the General. The upshot of the matter 
was, that Johnson decided to send Sherman instead of 
Grant, and Sherman consented to go, believing that thus 
he was preventing an open rupture between Grant and the 
Administration. 

Sherman and Campbell went to Mexico, and spent some 
weeks in trying to find Juarez, who was said to be with 
his army in the field. Not succeeding in their quest, they 
returned to New Orleans, and by Christmas Sherman was 
back at St. Louis, convinced that he had been sent as a 
ruse, on that idle errand. The President, he believed, 
simply wanted to send Grant somewhere to get him out of 
the way of his own political ambition. 

Now came on the famous " Tenure of Office " affair. 
Congress enacted, in March, 1867, a law providing that no 
civil officer appointed for a definite term, by and with the 
advice and consent of the Senate, should be removed before 
the expiration of that term except with the consent of the 
Senate. On August 5, following, the President demanded 
Stanton's resignation as Secretary of War. Stanton, under 
the above named law, refused it. A week later the President 



454 



INDIAN PEACE COMMISSION. 



suspended him and appointed Grant to act in his stead. 
Things remained in this state until January 13, 1868 ; when 
the Senate disapproved the President's action. Grant 
immediately gave up the Secretaryship, handed the key of 
the office to Sherman, and went back to army headquarters. 
Sherman took the key to Stanton and gave it to him. 

Sherman was anxious to make peace, and strongly urged 
the President to appoint General J. D. Cox, then Governor 
of Ohio, to succeed Stanton, thinking he would be accepted 
by the Senate. This the President would not do, and the 
storm increased. At the beginning of February Sherman 
returned to St. Louis, glad to get away from the political 
intrigues of Washington, and steadfastly refused to return 
unless ordered, though the President himself requested him 
to do so. Then, determined to bring him back, the President 
assigned him to the command of the Division of the Atlantic. 
Sherman tried to avoid this appointment, and threatened 
to resign rather than return East. Had the President's 
plans been carried out there would have been at Washington 
these officers: The President, commander in chief of the 
Army under the Constitution ; the Secretary of War, 
commander in chief under the recognition of Congress ; the 
General of the Army; the Lieutenant General ofthe Army ; 
the General commanding the Department of Washington ; 
and the commander of the post at Washington. And the 
garrison of Washington consisted of an infantry brigade 
and a battery of artillery ! Sherman protested so vigorously 
against such an arrangementthat the President finally agreed 
to let him stay at St. Louis, and then appointed Lorenzo 
Thomas Secretary of War ad interhn. And soon the 
famous impeachment trial came. 

Sherman was appointed, in July, 1867, a member of the 
commission to establish peace with certain Indian tribes. 



A TRIP TO EUROPE. 455 

In that capacity he travelled vvidely through the Indian 
country and had many conferences with the chiefs. He 
proposed that the great Indian reservations should be or- 
ganized under regular territorial governments, but the plan 
was not approved at Washington. 

So the time passed until March 4, 1869, when Grant was 
inaugurated as President. Sherman was then made Gen- 
eral, and Sheridan Lieutenant-General. Under this ar- 
rangement Sherman of course had to return to Washing- 
ton, and there he renewed his old association with George 
H. Thomas, whom, however, he presently assigned, at 
Thomas's request, to the command at San Francisco. 
There the hero of Chickamauga and Nashville soon died, 
and Sherman thought his end was hastened by supposed 
ingratitude. Congress ought, in Sherman's opinion, to 
have made Meade, Sheridan and Thomas all Lieutenant- 
Generals, dating their commissions respectively with 
" Gettysburg," " Winchester," and " Nashville." 

On the death of General Rawlins, in the fall of 1869, 
Sherman was called upon to act for a time as Secretary of 
War. The experience did not please him. There was too 
much red tape, and too much division of authority, and he 
was glad to be relieved by General Belknap. In August, 
1 87 1, Rear-Admiral Alden asked him to go to Europe 
with him, in the frigate Wabash, and Sherman joyously 
accepted the invitation, as he had long wished to go abroad 
but had never yet done so. They sailed on November 11, 
and Sherman did not return until September 22 of the next 
year. He visited almost every part of Europe and Egypt, 
and had an opportunity of observing European methods in 
the great German army which had just been overrunning 
France. 

Life at Washington, with Belknap's assumptions, was now 



45'6 THE HONOR OF THE ARMY. 

increasingly distasteful to him, and he obtained permission 
from the President to remove the army headquarters to St. 
Louis. Thither he went in the fall of 1874, and once more 
was contented and happy. In the spring of 1876, however, 
he was recalled to Washington, on account of the Belknap 
scandal. General Belknap, Secretary of War, was charged 
with corrupt practices, and resigned, to avoid impeachment. 
Sherman was much shocked, for he had always esteemed 
Belknap highly. Referring to the case in a speech at a 
public banquet at St. Louis, before returning to Washing- 
ton, he said: 

"The army of 1776 was the refuge of all who loved lib- 
erty for liberty's sake, and who were willing to test their 
sincerity by the fire of battle; and v/e claim that the army 
of 1876 is the best friend of liberty, good order, and Gov- 
ernment, and submits to any test that may be imposed. Our 
ancestors never said the soldier was not worthy of his hire; 
that the army was a leech on the body politic; that a stand- 
ing army of 20,000 men endangered the liberties of 40,- 
000,000 of people. These are modern inventions, modern 
party-cries to scare and confuse the ignorant. We are not 
of those who subscribe so easily to the modern doctrine of 
evolution, that teaches that each succeeding generation is 
necessarily better than that which went before, but each 
tree must be tested by its own fruit, and we can point with 
pride to our Sheridan, Hancock, Schofield, McDowell, and 
a long array of Brigadier-Generals, Colonels, Captains and 
Lieutenants, who, for intelligence, honor, integrity and self- 
denial, will compare favorably with those of any former 
epoch. We point with pride to our army, scattered through 
the South, along oar Atlantic, Gulf and Lake forts, and in 
the great West, and claim that in all the qualities of good 
soldiers they are second to none. I see that some of you 



CAUSES OF CORRUPTION. 



45; 



shake your heads and whi>per Belknap. Why? What was 
his relation to the army? He was a Cabinet Minister, a 
civil officer, did not hold a commission in the army at all. 
We contend that when he was an officer he was an honor- 
able man and rendered good service, and that this entitles 
him to charitable consideration. 'Lead us not into temp- 
tation' is a prayer some of us seem to have forgotten, and 
we of the army can truthfully say that this offence, be it 
what it may, is not chargeable to the army, for he was not 
subject to military law or jurisdiction. 

"At this moment the air is full of calumny, and it is 
sickening to observe that men usually charitable and just, 
are made to believe that all honesty and virtue have taken 
their flight from earth; that our National Capital is reeking 
with corruption ; that fraud and peculation are the rule, and 
honesty and fidelity to trust the exception. I do not be- 
lieve it, and I think we should resist the torrent. Our 
President has surely done enough to entitle him to absolute 
confidence, and can have no motive to screen the wicked 
or guilty. At no timiC in the history of the country, have 
our courts of law, from the Supreme Court at Washington 
down to the District Courts, been entitled to more respect 
lor their learning and purity; and Congress is nov/, as it 
has ever been and must be from its composition, a repre- 
sentative body, sharing with the people its feelings and 
thoughts, its virtues and vices. If corruption exist, it is 
with the people at large, and they can correct the evil by 
their own volition. If they have grown avaricious and 
made money their God, they must not be surprised if 
their representatives and servants share their sin. What 
are the actual facts ? We have recently passed through a 
long civil war, entailing on one moiety of the country deso- 
lation and ruin, — on all a fearful debt, — States, counties, 



458 



PATRONAGE. 



and cities follow the fashion, until the whole land became 
deeply in debt. The debts arc now due, and bear heavily 
in the shape of taxes on our homes, on property, and busi- 
ness. 

" Again, the war called millions to arms, who dropped 
their professions and business, and found themselves without 
employment when the war was over. These naturally 
turned to the National Government for help ; and the pres- 
sure for office, at all times great became simply irresistible. 
The power to appoint to these offices is called ' patronage,' 
and is common to all Governments. Then, again, arose a 
vast number of claims for damages for seizures and loss of 
property by acts of war. These all involved large sums of 
money, and money now is, as it always has been, the cause 
of a life-struggle — of corruption. Yes, money is the 
cause of corruption to-day as always. Men will toil for it, 
murder for it, steal for it, die for it. Though officers and 
soldiers are simply men subject to all tempations and vices 
of men, we of the army feel, or rather think we feel, more 
in the spirit of Burns : 

" ' For gold the merchant plows the main, 
The farmer plows the manor ; 
But glory is the soldier's prize, 
The soldier's wealth is honor.' " 

Sherman set out in July, 1877, for a tour through the 
Indian country and the far Northwest. He was absent 
from home 115 days, and travelled nearly io,ocxd -miles. 
After visiting Tongue River and the Big Horn, he went to 
the Yellowstone National Park. In relating the story of 
his adventures, he said : 

" Descending Mount Washburn, by a trail through 
woods, one emerges into the meadows or springs out of 



IN YELLOWSTONE PARK. 



459 



which Cascade Creek takes its water, and, following it to 
near its mouth, you camp and walk to the great falls and 
the head of the Yellowstone canyon. In grandeur, majesty, 
and coloring, these, probably, equal any on earth. The 
painting by Moran in the Capitol is good, but painting and 
words are unequal to the subject. They must be seen to 
be appreciated and felt. 

" Gen. Poe and I found a jutting rock, about a mile below 
the Seron Falls, from which a perfect view is had of the 
Seron Falls can}'on. The upper falls are given at 125 feet 
and the lower at 350. The canyon is described as 2,000 feet. 
It is not 2,000 imniediately below the Seron Falls, but may 
be lower down, for this canyon is thirty miles long, and 
where it breaks through the range abreast of Washburn 
may be 2,000 feet. Just below the Seron Falls, I think 
1,000 feet would be nearer the exact measurement; but it 
forms an actual canyon, the sides being almost vertical, and 
no one venturing to attempt a descent. It is not so much 
the form of this canyon, though fantastic in the extreme, 
that elicited my admiration, but the coloring. The soft 
rocks through which the waters have cut a way are of the 
most delicate colors, — buff, gray, and red, — all so perfectly 
blended as to make a picture of exquisite finish. The falls 
and canyon of the Yellowstone will remain to the end of 
time objects of natural beauty and grandeur to attract the 
attention of the living. 

"Up to this time we had seen no geysers or hot springs, 
but the next day, eight miles up from the falls, we came to 
Sulphur Mountain, a bare, naked, repulsive hill, not of large 
extent, at the base of which were hot, bubbling springs, 
with all the pond crisp with sulphur, and six miles from 
there up, or south, close to the Yellowstone, we reached and 
camped at Mud Springs. These also are hot, most of them 



460 THE HOT SPRINGS. 

muddy. Water slushed around as in a boiling pot. Soma 
were muddy water and others thick mud, puffing up just 
like a vast pot of mush. Below the falls of the Yellowstone 
is a rapid, bold current of water, so full of real speckled 
trout, weighing from six ounces to four and a half pounds, 
that, in the language of a settler, it is ' no trick at all to 
catch them.' They will bite at an artificial fly, or, better, 
at a live grasshopper, which abound here; but above the 
falls the river is quiet, flowing between low, grassy banks, 
and finally ending, or rather beginning, in the Yellowstone 
Lake, also alive with real speckled trout. Below the falls 
these trout are splendid eating, but above, by reason of the 
hot water, some of the fish are wormy and generally 
obnoxious by reason thereof, though men pretend to dis- 
tinguish the good from the bad by the color of the spots. 
I have no hesitation in pronouncing the Yellowstone, from 
the Big Horn to the source, the finest trout-fishing stream 
on earth. 

" From the Mud Springs the trail is due west, and crosses 
the mountain range which separates the Yellowstone from 
the Madison, both tributaries to the Missouri, descends this 
tributary to the West Fork of the Madison, and here is the 
Lower Geyser Basin. It would require a volume to de- 
scribe these geysers in detail. It must suffice now for me 
to say that the Lower Geyser Basin presents a series of hot 
springs or basins of water coming up from below hot 
enough to scald your hand, boil a ham, eggs, or anything 
else, clear as crystal, with basins of every conceivable shape, 
from the size of a quill to actual lakes 100 yards across. In 
walking among and around these one feels that in a 
moment he may break through and be lost in a species of 
hell. 

" Six miles higher up the West Madisoa is the Upper 



THE SPOUTING GEYSERS. 



461 



Geyser Basin, the spouting geysers, the real object and aim 
of our visit. To describe these in detail would surpass my 
ability or the compass of a letter. They have been de- 
scribed by Lieutenants Duane, Hayden, Strong, Lord Dun- 
raven, and many others. The maps by Major Ludlow, of the 
Engineers, locate several geysers accurately. We reached 
the Upper Geyser Basin at 12 M. one day and remained 
there till 4 P. M. of the next. During that time we saw 
the old ' Faithful ' perform at intervals varying from sixty- 
two minutes to eighty minutes. The intervals vary, but 
the performance only varies with the wind and sun. The 
cone, or hill, is of soft, decaying lime, but immediately 
about the hole, which is irregular, about six feet across, 
the incrustation is handsome, so that one can look in safety 
when the geyser is at rest." 

Returning to Fort Ellis, they next rode to Helena, the 
Capital of Montana Territory, 106 miles in one day, by a 
relay of stages. They visited old Fort Benton, established 
long ago by the American Fur Company, also Fort Shaw, 
and then striking over the country to Fort Missoula, and 
then across the Bitter Root Mountains through Idaho and 
across Washington Territory to the Pacific coast. 

Sherman devoted much time in his later years to literaiy 
work, chiefly in the form of magazine articles, about the 
war, early days in California, and other topics of historic 
and general public interest. In 1875 he published his 
" Memoirs," a large volume recording his military career. 
Its appearance caused a great sensation, as no other prom- 
inent army officer had, at that time, done such a thing as to 
write a history of his own career. The book was written 
in Sherman's characteristic style, breezy, vigorous, frank, 
fearless. Many of its statements of fact and opinion bore 
hardly upon others and provoked contradiction. Sherman 



462 



LITERARY PURSUITS. 



took all criticisms upon it kindly, and in subsequent editions 
printed them, together with many other messages of praise, 
in an appendix to the book. Moreover, there were, as 
Sherman himself acknowledged, many errors in the book, 
originating in faults of memory and otherwise. As fast as 
these were pointed out and proved, Sherman corrected them. 

Referring one day, in conversation, to the criticisms of his 
" Memoirs," he said : — 

"They amuse me, make me laugh, and frequently, I am 
glad to say, serve me a good purpose by calling attention to 
real defects and errors which in time will be corrected. I 
have here a copy of my book with each error, so far dis- 
covered, marked and carefully annotated. When the work 
of correcting is completely finished, they will be made 
public, either during my lifetime or when I am gone. These 
'Memoirs' have been the subject of much misconception 
in the public mind. I do not intend them as history. I 
offered them as my testimony, simply. I endeavored to 
describe accurately the stirring events therein referred to as 
I saw them. I do not pretend to say that everything 
occurred as I say it does, but as it occurred to me. Other 
men may have seen things differently. None of us see 
things exactly alike. But the records upon which my book 
is based are open to all. They consisted of my correspond- 
ence and official reports, making forty volumes of manu- 
script letters pasted in letter-books. These forty volumes 
are in the War Department at Washington. I had a dupli- 
cate copy. One day I sat down to glance at these letters, 
and conceived the idea of reducing their contents to narra- 
tive form, but not for publication. I did not intend that the 
public should ever read them, except as my posthumous 
papers. After I had made some progress in the work, I 
showed the first sheets to a few friends. I was urgently 



ARMY PREJUDICES. 463 

advised to complete the labor I had begun, and submit it to 
the public in the shape of ' Memoirs.' I took the advice 
and so published the book, expected severe criticism, and 
got it. I had sense and foresight enough to know that 
everybody would not agree with me. No writer ever gets 
justice from his cotemporaries, and, outside of this, I knew 
I was liable to err, and only pretended to give things as 
they looked through my glasses. 

" Now, there were a good many little prej udices among the 
soldiers and the armies of the West which the public, at 
this day, do not appreciate. For instance, there were three 
grand Western armies — the Army of the Tennessee, Army 
of the Cumberland and Army of the Ohio. There were 
unavoidable jealousies between these armies and their com- 
manders. Their respective triumphs and defeats were the 
subjects of undue taunts, ridicule or criticism. My particu- 
lar army was that of Tennessee, and it is more than pos- 
sible, and quite probable, that I have colored things highly 
in its favor. Doubtless I was much prejudiced in its favor, 
just as you would be in favor of an old acquaintance as op- 
posed to a comparative stranger. I knew every brigade and 
regimental commander in this army, and was familiar with 
the fighting capacity of each corps. I knew exactly what 
division to hold in reserve, and those to storm a breastwork. 
Besides I had this army so organized that I had only to give 
an order and it was executed. No red tape nor circumlo- 
cution was necessary. If I wanted one of Buell's corps I 
had to issue a command, and that had to be repeated, per- 
haps in writing, from corps to division, and from division to 
brigade and regiment, and thus would take two hours to get 
a body of troops in motion when time was precious and im- 
petuous action was needed. IMy army was one of wild 
fighters, never so well pleased as when driving the enemy 



464 ^-^^^ POLITICAL GENERALS. 

before them. Buell had a splendid army, but it was slow 
and conservative, composed of as brave and stubborn 
fighters as any other command, and yet not accustomed to 
brilliant and quick movements. 

"The attack made on me about the 'political Generals' 
was unfair. I never used such a term. My sole intention 
was to mention, in a spirit of fair criticism, certain circum- 
stances that in a measure defeated my efforts to have a 
constantly efficient army. For instance, we would have a 
big fight and come out victorious. We would go into camp 
for an indefinite period, and with no prospect of an early 
campaign. At such periods I noticed that my subordinate 
commanders who had previously had political aspirations 
would strike out for home to see the 'people.' They would 
make a few speeches, and as the fighting season approached 
they v/ould rejoin their commands. In the meantime, if I 
wanted to find out anything about the exact condition of 
each division, the transportation, or the commissary or 
quartermaster affairs, I could find no responsible liead to 
give me official information. Such things tended to destroy 
the discipline, and consequently the efficiency of the army, 
and it was a matter to which I had good reason to object. 
I wanted commanders who would stay with their com- 
mands, and not those who cherished ambitious political 
projects, and who were continually running off to see the 
pecple at home." 

General Sherman in 1884 requested to be put on the 
retired list of the army, in order that Sheridan might be 
promoted to the full rank of General; and this was done 
on February 8 of that year. A couple of years later he 
removed to New York and for the remainder of his life made 
his home in that city. He was one of the most conspicuous 
figures in society there, a welcome and honored guest 



LIFE IN NEW YORK. '465 

everywhere. After living for a couple of years in a hotel, 
he bought a house, at No. 75 West 71st St., and there 
gathered his family about him. In the basement he fitted 
up a room which he called his office, and here he received 
visitors and answered correspondence. In the hours which 
he devoted to these duties he presented a picture which 
strikingly impressed itself on the memories of all Vv'ho saw 
it. His desk was in the middle of the room, and there he 
sat, amid piles of books, records and papers, and surrounded 
by old war maps and mementoes. He wore an easy office 
coat or a dressing gown, and for aids to his eyesight he had 
a huge pair of round-glassed, tortoise-shell-rimmed spec- 
tacles. Wielding his paper knife and taking up his pen 
occasionally, he would keep busy and at the same time 
would sustain conversation with a caller, on whom every 
now and then, as he addressed him, he would bend his keen, 
direct gaze, raising his brows and looking over the tops of 
his spectacles. The walls of this room, too, have often rung 
with laughter, responsive to the kindly joke, the ready jest, 
the queer reminiscence of old times, inimitably told, with 
which he made the time pleasant for groups of his intimate 
friends, especially his old comrades of the Army. W'hen a 
reporter visited him he would get a cordial enough welcome 
to the General's nook, but presently old " Tecumseh " 
would look up and say something like this: 

" Oh, what's the use of bothering with an old fellow like 
me? Haven't I had enough publicity? Umph ! More 
than I wanted. Now, my dear fellow, I like you and your 
paper, but you mustn't print anything about me; you 
really mustn't." 

He soon acquired a reputation as a ready and brilliant 
after-dinner speaker, and in that capacity figured at many 
public banquets. His first New York speech, after he made 



466^ AFTER-DINNER SPEAKING. 

that city his home, was delivered at the dinner of the New 
England Society, on December 22, 1886. At this dinner 
Henry W. Grady made his rhemorable address on " The 
New South." General Sherman directly preceded Mr. 
Grady in the order of speech-making, and when he arose 
he got a tremendously enthusiastic greeting, which visibly 
affected him. 

" Many and many a time," he said, " have I been welcomed 
among you. I came from a bloody civil war to New York 
in years gone by — twenty or twenty-one, maybe, — and a 
committee came to me in my room and dragged me unwil- 
lingly before the then New England Society of New York, 
and they received me with such hearty applause and such 
kindly greetings that my heart goes out to you now to-night 
as their representatives. God knows, I wish you, one and 
all, all the blessings of life and enjoyment of the good things 
you now possess and others yet in store for you, young 
men." 

With this introduction, he told them that he had been 
celebrating the same event the night before in Brooklyn, 
that about two or three o'clock in the morning he " saw 
this hall filled with lovely ladies, waltzing," and he added, 
" here I am to-night." 

" I have no toast," he remarked, " I am a loafer. I can 
choose to say what I may — not tied by any text or formula." 
Then he said that they called him " Old General Sherman," 
but that he was pretty young yet, " not all the devil out of 
me," and that he hoped to share with them many a festive 
occasion. 

And he was with the New Englanders and with many- 
other societies and clubs and parties on " many a festive 
occasion." His speeches were always brisk, spicy and 
enlivened by anecdote and reminiscence, Chauncey M. 



A GREAT THEATRE-GOER ^6 J 

Depevv regarded him as "the readiest and most original 
talker in the United States," and Mr. Dopcw had many- 
opportunities to study him in this character, for the two 
men frequently sat at the same table and divided the 
oratorical honors of the evening. 

General Sherman was a frequent patron of the drama, and 
was usually to be seen in important " first night " audiences. 
Among his personal friends were many of the foremost 
actors and actresses of the day, and he did many deeds of 
kindness to struggling but worthy members of the profes- 
sion. He was one of the first members of the Players' 
Club, and made a notable speech at a supper given in honor 
of Edwin Booth. 

At reunions of army men he was, of course, a most 
popular figure, and he greatly enjoyed such gatherings, 
where he could renew old acquaintances and refresh his 
memories of the great campaigns of the past. Sometimes 
he was called upon to preside at some army meeting, and 
a rare treat it was to see him. For parliamentary law he 
had no regard, but he " ran things " according .to his own 
will, with charming indifference to points of order and pro- 
cedure. A reporter has given this verbatim record of such 
a scene, Sherman took the chair and began thus : 

"The meeting will come to order. Ah, yes! (Nodding 
to an officer about to rise.) General Hickenlooper moves the 
appointment of a Committee on Credentials (taking a paper 
from his left vest pocket.) The committee will consist of 
General Hickenlooper, Colonel A. and Major B. We must 
be speedy, gentlemen, in arranging these details. 

" General Smith — Did I see General Smith rise ? " (A 
voice : " He's gone out for a moment") " Well, never 
mind ; it's all the same. General Smith moves the appoint- 
ment of a committee on Resolutions, and it will consist of 



468 THE LAST "INTER VIE lV.r 

(taking a list from his right vest pocket) General So-and-So. 
(Looks blank.) That's not the committee, either. This 
list I just read is another committee, and it will be moved 
later. Here's the right one.. (Reads it.) You see, gen- 
tlemen, we get our young staff officers who have nothing 
else to do to fix up these things in advance." 

A voice: " Move to adjourn." The Chair: " Oh, no use 
putting that motion. We must fix these preliminaries 
first. ^ I have three more committees prepared here." 

And so on for an hour longer. But no one ever resented 
the old warrior's genial "bossism." 

Sherman's last " interview " with a newspaper reporter 
occurred at his New York home less than a fortnight before 
his death. 

When the reporter entered the General was seated at a 
square table in the middle of the room, and in a despairing 
sort of way was trying to find out from a director}^ where 
Dr. John Hall's church is situated. He wore a very extra- 
ordinary pair of spectacles — each lens like a jeweler's mag- 
nifying glass. When he had got the information he wanted, 
he pushed his spectacles up on his forehead, shook hands 
and asked what was wanted. 

" By the way," he said, suddenly, " I have seen you 
before." 

" Yes ; at the Garfield memorial exercises in Cleveland." 

" I remember now," General Sherman continued ; " sit 
down. What can I do for you ? I have very little time; 
I am going to a wedding at 12 o'clock." 

He was asked to talk about Lincoln and old war-times. 

" No, no," he said, shaking his head; " I have said all I 
have to say and written all I have to write on that subject 
and all others. I shall not write any more nor talk for 
publication. 



JflJiST BEREAVEMENT. 



471 



Then he stood up and walked slowly about the room. 
After a bit he pointed to a shelf of the book-case, where 
the bulky volumes of the Nicolay-Hay memoirs stood. 

" There," he remarked, "in those ten volumes you'll find 
all the Lincoln literature you want; I have made many 
speeches on Lincoln, but I don't remember where they are 
now — I don't remember." 

Sherman's first family bereavement was the death of his 
son Willie, from typhoid fever, at Memphis, October 3, 
1863. The boy had shown great fondness for military life, 
and had been playfully adopted as a sergeant by the bat- 
talion that formed his father's headquarters guard. He 
always turned out at drills and guard-mountings with a zeal 
that both amused and delighted the general, and he was a 
great favorite with all the soldiers who knew him. When 
he died, the battalion gave him a military funeral, and the 
heart-broken father thereupon wrote to its commanding 
officer, Captain C. C. Smith, as follows: 

" My Dear Friend : I cannot sleep to-night till I record 
an expression of the deep feelings of my heart to you and 
to the officers and soldiers of the battalion for their kind 
behavior to my poor child. I realize that you all feel for 
my family the attachment of kindred, and I assure you of 
full reciprocity. 

" Consistent with a sense of duty to my profession and 
office, I could not leave my post, and sent for the family to 
come to me in this fatal climate and in that sickly period of 
the year, and behold the result. The child that bore my 
name and in whose future I reposed with more confidence 
than I did in my own plan of life now lies a mere corpse, 
seeking a grave in a distant land, with a weeping mother, 
brother and sisters clustered about him. For myself I ask 
no sympathy. On, on I must go to meet a soldier's fate or 



472 



WILLIE SHERMAN. 



live to see our country rise superior to all factions, till its 
flag is adored and respected by ourselves and by all the 
powers of the earth. 

" But Willie was, or thought he was, a sergeant in the 
Thirteenth, I have seen his eye brighten, his heart beat, as 
he beheld the battalion under arms, and asked me if they 
were not real soldiers. Child as he was, he had the 
enthusiasm, the pure love of truth, honor and love of 
country which should animate all soldiers. 

" God only knows why he should die thus young. He 
is dead, but will not be forgotten till those who knew him 
in life have followed him to that same mysterious end. 

" Please convey to the battalion my heartfelt thanks and 
assure each and all that if in after years they call on me or 
mine and mention that they were of the Thirteenth Regu- 
lars when Willie was a sergeant they will have a key to the 
affections of my family that will open all it has ; that we 
will share with them our last blanket, our last crust." 

Willie Sherman's remains were afterward removed from 
Memphis and interred at St. Louis, in Calvary Cemetery, 
by the side of another son, Charles, who died in infancy, 
in 1864. In the same plot the body of M'rs. Sherman was 
placed at her death, to be followed soon by the dust of the 
great soldier himself 

Mrs. Sherman died in New York on November 28, 1888, 
after a long illness. After her burial at St. Louis, General 
Sherman wrote a brief note to the editor of TJie New York 
Tribune, saying : — 

" I and family are now returned from St. Louis, having 
deposited the coffined body of Mrs. Sherman near ' Our 
Willie,' at the very spot chosen by ourselves in 1866, re- 
affirmed in 1883, and often spoken of as a matter of course 
between us. We have followed in the minutest particular 



DEATH OF MRS. SHERMAN. 



A71 



her every wish. Every member of my own family and 
hers, the ' Ewings,' are content, for no mortal was ever 
better prepared to ' put on immortality ' than Mrs. General 
Sherman. Of course, being the older and subjected to 
harder strains, I expected to precede her; but it is ordained 
otherwise. In due time I will resume my place by her 
side, and I want my friends, especially my old soldier 
friends, to know that they shall not be taxed one cent, for 
I have made, or will make, every provision. I have 
received by telegraph, mail, card and every possible way, 
hundreds of kind, sympathetic messages, all of which have 
been read by myself and children. To make suitable re- 
plies to all is simply impossible, and I offer the above as a 
general answer." 

There were left to him six children : The Rev. Thomas 
E. Sherman, a priest of the Roman Catholic Church; P. 
Tecumseh Sherman, a lawyer in New York ; Mrs. A. M. 
Thackara, of Rosemont, Penn. ; Mrs. T. W. Fitch, of Pitts- 
burg; Miss Rachel Sherman, and Miss Lizzie Sherman. 
Messrs. Thackara and Fitch, to whom the two elder 
daughters were married, were army officers. 



CHAPTER XXIX. 

DEATH AND BURIAL. 

A Fatal Cold — Lingering Between Hope and Fear — The Last 
Rally — The End of Life's Campaign — A Sons Sad Home-Coming 
— Pkkparations for the Funeral — Public Tributes of Respect — 
The Military Parade in New York — Progress of the Funeral 
Train Across the Country — Ceremonies at St. Louis— The War- 
rior's Last Encampment by the Side of His Loved Ones. 

All roads lead to Rome, and end there. Many men who 
have acquired greatness by their arduous achievements in 
various parts of the country, toward the close of life have 
gravitated to New York and ended their days there. Such 
was the case with Sherman's great comrade and com- 
mander, Grant, and such was the case with Sherman 
himself When he came to New York to make his home 
he intended that it should be his last in the earthly life. 
And so it was. His declining years were spent in peace 
and comfort, surrounded by the love of kin and friends, and 
by the admiration of the great Metropolis ; and when the 
end came, after so much marching and fighting, and so 
many bitter controversies, it came at home and in profound 
peace. 

General Sherman's last illness was of little more than a 

week's duration. Following a taste, natural and cultivated, 

which he loved to gratify, he attended li.? performance of 

" Poor Jonathan," at the New York Casino, en Wednesday 

474 



THE FATAL COLD. 475 

night, February 4, 1891, It was, in fact, a special perform- 
ance. Invitations had been sent to the military officers of 
the city, and General Sherman occupied one of the pros- 
cenium boxes with a party of friends. He seemed to be 
in the best of health and spirits, and gave every evidence of 
keen enjoyment of the opera. 

He returned to his home immediately after the perform- 
ance, and, although the weather was clear and bright, in 
some way he caught a severe cold. Its first effects were 
noticed on the following morning. His condition, however, 
did not prevent his attendance at the wedding of Miss 
Shepard, daughter of Colonel Elliott F. Shepard, on that 
afternoon. He coughed a little and complained of the cold 
while in the church. On Friday morning his condition had 
become more uncomfortable, but excited no alarm. His 
throat, however, had become affected in the meantime, and 
he was obliged to give up a dinner with Lawrence Barrett 
that evening at the Union League Club. On Saturday 
morning when he began to show signs of facial erysipelas, 
accompanied by fever, he felt some anxiety, and sent for 
Dr. C. J. Alexander, a surgeon of the army, who had been 
his family physician for a number of years. On Sunday 
the disease began to get a firm hold upon the old warrior. 
His face and neck became much swollen and inflamed, and 
conversation became difficult and painful. His condition 
was such that Dr. Alexander sent for Dr. Janeway, for the 
purpose of holding a consultation. The General was then 
confined to his bed, and it was found that the ordinary 
treatment applied in cases of erysipelas would not answer 
the purpose, in part owing to the General's advanced age. 
Sunday, by the way, was the seventieth anniversary of his 
birth. 

The disease had developed to such an extent on Monday 



476 THE FAMIL Y SUMMONED. 

that it was decided to summon the members of the family. 
Telegrams were sent at once to Senator John Sherman, his 
brother; his daughters, Mrs. Thackara and Mrs. Fitch. 
The other children, with the exception of the Rev. T. E. 
Sherman, were at home. To him, however, a cable dis- 
patch was sent. He was a student in the Jesuit Seminary 
on the Island of Jersey. Senator Sherman arrived at his 
brother's home on Monday night, and his daughters on the 
following day. The arrival of Senator Sherman, with the 
publication of the dispatch which called him, was the first 
intimation that the people of New York City had of 
General Sherman's illness. 

Dr. Alexander remained at the sick man's bedside on 
Tuesday night, and when Dr. Janeway came to relieve him 
on Wednesday morning, February 1 1, he found the General 
resting on his back in a state of semi-stupor. His condi- 
tion at that time was recognized as critical. He was in 
great pain when he moved, and gave evidence of growing 
weaker, despite the fact that whiskey and milk, which were 
used as nourishment throughout the illness, were adminis- 
tered to him as often as possible. Intimate friends of the 
family were then informed of his precarious condition. 

The General rallied somewhat at noon, and his family 
began to hope that the illness was only temporary. But 
their hopes were delusive. In the afternoon, the attending 
physicians, Drs. Alexander, Janeway and Greene, began to 
send out hourly bulletins as an official answer to the 
hundreds of inquiries that poured in upon them. At 2.15 
they made their first announcement, which read as follows: 
" General Sherman was worse this morning, and his con- 
dition is critical. During the day his condition has 
improved considerably." About 5 p.m. General Ewing 
said that he had called on General Sherman, and had been 



BETWEEN HOPE AND FEAR. ^yy 

recognized by him. As soon as he saw General Ewing 
enter the room, the patient called out, " Hello, Ewing." 
He did not make any attempt to sustain conversation, 
however. His enunciation was difficult, and, besides, 
though he could recognize his friends, he did not seem to 
be able to have enough energy or command of his faculties 
to talk to them. 

He improved again slightly during the evening, so that 
two of the physicians and Senator Sherman left the house. 
The Senator, however, was recalled at two o'clock on 
Thursday, when the veteran again grew worse. Thursday 
passed in much the same way as Wednesday, although it 
was deemed advisable by the family, for their comfort, to 
have the last rites of the Catholic Church administered to 
him, just before noon. In the afternoon the sick man sur- 
prised his watchers by getting out of bed and walking a 
few steps to an easy chair, where he sat for a few moments. 
He showed the same marvellous will power again in the 
evening. In his rallies he was able to clear his lungs a 
little. Whiskey and milk were given to him as often as he 
could take nourishment. Late at night it was said that if 
the General could maintain his state till that time there 
would be hopes of ultimate recovery. 

Friday was another day of hope and disappointment. 
Several times it was reported that the General was dying, but 
he managed to rally despite his weakened condition. Said 
General Ewing that evening : " Sherman is perfectly con- 
scious, and when spoken to rouses up and makes a perfectly 
intelligible answer to any question that may be asked. He 
is deaf, you know, and it is necessary to address him in a 
pretty loud voice, in order to be heard." 

" Does he recognize his friends ? " 

" Not until spoken to, and I doubt if he recognizes them 



/lyS HOPE ABANDONED. 

even then, I doubt if he has recognized me in the last two 
days." 

" Yet he talks to them ? " 

" He does not talk much. The tongue is much swollen 
and the jaw is stiff, and he can speak only with difficulty." 

" Does he realize the serious character of the disease ? " 

" It is hard to say. He has given no evidence of uneasi- 
ness, except when he called for 'Curnp* (P. T. Sherman, 
his son), on Thursday. It then occurred to me that he 
wanted to say a last word to the young man. But I may 
have been mistaken. At any rate, when ' Cump ' went to 
him he was unable to tell him what was on his mind." 

The illustrious patient grew v/eak again at midnight, and 
at an early hour Saturday morning, February 14, it was 
known that his death was only a question of a few hours. 
At four o'clock his family was all summoned to his room 
and never left it, except for a few minutes, until the end. 
The alarming attack which seized the patient soon after six 
o'clock precipitated death. The doctors hurriedly held 
another consultation, did what they could to relieve his 
distress and then decided that hope must be abandoned. 

The chloroform plasters which had been placed on 
Sherman's chest, failed to help. The police officers then 
cleared the sidewalk and streets of all passengers, and 
people began to wait for the end. At 8.35 o'clock Dr. 
Janeway left the house, to which he did not again return. 
His face and his few words told plainly that he had no 
hope. 

About half an hour before the General's death the 
watchers discerned signs of approaching dissolution. First 
the old soldier's fingers began to grow cold, then the fatal 
coldness crept slowly up his arms, and over his body. As 
the end approached, the General's head, which had been 



THE END. 479 

resting on a large pillow, was lowered gradually in the hope 
that he might be enabled to breathe easier. Although he 
died from suffocation, caused by the mucus from his in- 
flamed throat filling his lungs, there were no longer indi- 
cations of suffering on his part. Those who were nearest 
his head say that they heard a gentle sigh escape his lips 
and then all was over. It was just 1.50 o'clock when the 
famous soldier expired. There was no clergyman of any 
denomination in the house during the day. 

Within a minute or two after General Sherman's death 
one of his men-servants stepped outside of the front door 
and said: "It is all over." 

Kneeling at the bedside, as the soldier's spirit left its 
earthly tenement, were the General's son, P. T. Sherman, 
his four daughters, the Misses Rachel and Lizzie Sherman, 
Mrs. Fitch and Mrs Thackara; his brother, Senator John 
Sherman; his sons-in-law. Lieutenants Fitch and Thackara; 
his brother-in-law, General Thomas Ewing; his physician. 
Dr. Alexander, U. S. A., and his nurse. Miss Elizabeth 
Price, of the New York Hospital. The other son, the Rev. 
Thomas E. Sherman, was on the ocean, hastening home- 
ward, but too late. Generals Slocum and Howard were 
then in the room below. 

General Sherman seems to have had a presentiment of 
his fate some weeks before it actually befell him. One day 
he said to General C. H. T. Collis, who mentioned Grant's 
birthday — April 27: 

"Oh, well, Collis, I'll be dead and buried before then." 

"I tried hard to cheer him," said General Collis, "and 
pretended to believe he was joking, but he became serious 
and added after awhile: 'I feel it coming sometimes when 
I get home from an entertainment or banquet, especially 
these winter nights. I feel death reaching out for me, as it 



480 PREPARING FOR BURIAL. 

were. I suppose I'll take cold some night and go to bed, 
never to get up again.* The words were prophetic." 

In accordance with General Sherman's often expressed 
desire, the body did not lie in state; and the public so re- 
spected the grief of the family as not to besiege the house 
to gaze upon the remains of the hero. General Howard 
sent over a guard from the army post on Governor's Island, 
and with General Slocum, by invitation of the family, took 
charge of the arrangements for the funeral obsequies. The 
body of the deceased General was placed in a coffin exactly 
like that in which Mrs. Sherman was buried. The General 
chose her's himself, and gave express orders that his own 
should be like it. It was of oak, lined with cream-colored 
satin, and had silver handles. On a silver plate was the 
following inscription : 

WILLIAM TECUMSEH SHERMAN, 

GENERAL, U. S. A. 

Born February 8, 1820. 

Died February 14, 1891. 

This coffin was inclosed for the journey to St. Louis in 
an outer coffin of chestnut wood, brass bound, with a brass 
plate bearing the same inscription as the inner. The Gen- 
eral's body was dressed in the full uniform of his rank. 

The following " Special Order No. 5 " was issued from 
the headquarters of the Grand Army of the Republic, at 
Rutland, Vt. 

" Grand Army of the Republic posts on the route of the 
funeral train of General Sherman from New York to St. 
Louis will form at their respective railroad stations and 
salute remains as train passe-s." 

The President and his Cabinet were invited by General 
Howard to attend the funeral exercises in New York. 



THE LOYAL LEGION. 48 1 

Committees from both Houses of Congress were appointed 
to pay their tribute of respect. From the Senate came 
Messrs. Evarts, Hawley, Manderson, Pierce, Cockrell and 
Walthall. From the House Speaker Reed appointed 
Messrs. Cutcheon, Spinola, Cogswell, Cummings, Gros- 
venor, Kinsey, Tarsney, Henderson, of Illinois, and Outh- 
waite. 

A sorrowful meeting of the Military Order of the Loyal 
Legion was held on Monday, February 16, at which these 
resolutions were adopted: 

" In common with the entire country we lament the loss 
of a great military chieftain whose loyal spirit rightly 
placed the love of country higher than all earthly obliga- 
tions, and who was individually a distinct and glorious 
element in the triumphant struggle of that country for its 
own survival and for the rights of man. 

"As once his fellow soldiers we morn universally for the 
dead commander, whose great heart made us all his own 
and made his own virtues seem to us like personal benefac- 
tions. 

"As members of this Military Order we deplore the loss 
of a companion whose honors added to the value of those 
ties which his fellowship helped to endear, and whose fre- 
quent and cordial visits to the New York Commandery will 
be cherished in our memories as so many occasions to be 
often and affectionately recalled. 

" To his children and relatives, to whom his great renown, 
his honors and his tenderness do but enhance their loss, 
we tender all that sympathy may, and trust that a place in 
our regard henceforth may be accepted by them as a little 
heritage from him." 

General Howard made a brief address, in the course of 



482 



"MY BODY WILL DIE. 



which his emotion was strong and interrupted his utter- 
ances. 

" General Sherman," he said, " had more personal friends 
and could call more men by name probably than any other 
man in the country, 

" A few days ago, Sherman and Slocum and I met in 
Brooklyn and the conversation turned on death. Some one 
remarked that he hoped it would not come to Sherman for 
many years. I exclaimed, on the impulse of the moment, 
' General, you will never die.' He answered, sharply 
and strongly, ' My body will die.' God bless General 
Sherman," was the peroration of General Howard's 
speech. 

General Slocum followed with a warm panegyric on the 
march to the sea. " Sherman was to me something more 
than a companion," he said. " He gave me his confidence 
in war and his friendship in peace. He opened to me what 
is dear to every soldier, an opportunity to link my name 
with his. 

" In the coming time there will be no dispute about his 
career. It may be in the future that some man will say 
that he furnished the idea of the march to the sea to Sher- 
man. That man must have been with him at the time, or 
subsequent, when Sherman captured Atlanta, for when he 
did so he had no idea of cutting aloof from his base of sup- 
plies. When he got back from the battle of Jonesboro he 
took down a map and said, ' I will make Atlanta my base 
of supplies.' He went so far as to throw up intrenchments. 
That was before Hood pushed up toward the Tennessee and 
Nashville; and then he changed his mind. 

"After Sherman had taken Savannah certain persons at 
Washington urged him to take his troops to City Point by 



THE FUNERAL ORDERS. 483 

sea. Had he been a timid man he would have been con- 
tent to rest upon his laurels, knowing that he had already 
won an imperishable fame, but he said: 'No; I will take 
my chances in South Carolina,' and he did so, and every- 
thing went like clockwork, and success again crowned his 
efforts." 

At the same time a meeting of representative citizens of 
St. Louis was held in that city to make arrangements for 
the final services there ; and every city and town along the 
route prepared to salute the funeral train with demonstra- 
tions of sympathy and honor. The orders for the proces- 
sion in New York were issued on February 18, as follows: 

Headquarters of the Atlantic, 

Governor's Island, New York. 

The arrangements for the funeral of the late illustrious 
General of the Army, William Tecumseh Sherman, having 
been entrusted by his children and other relatives to the 
care of the undersigned, they have agreed upon the details 
so far as they relate to the ceremony in New York, which 
are now furnished for the information and guidance of all 
who may participate therein : 

The regulation escort, under command of Loomis L. 
Langdon, 1st Artillery, will consist of one regiment of 
United States marines, four companies of United States 
engineers, and six companies foot batteries of artillery; of 
a battalion of light artilleiy from the Army and the 
National Guard of New York, and of two troops of cavalry 
from the National Guard of New York. 

The remains will be received by the escort at the late 
residence of the General, No. 75 West Seventy-first street, 
at 2 o'clock, P. M., on Thursday next, the 19th inst. ihe 
body will be borne on a caisson, preceded by the following- 



484 ^-^^^ FUNERAL ORDERS. 

named pall-bearers in carriages : Major-General J. M. 
Schofield, Major-General O. O. Howard, Rear-Admiral 

D. L. Braine, Rear-Admiral J. A. Greer, Professor H. L. 
Kendrick, Major-General H. W. Slocum, General Joseph 

E. Johnston, Major-General D. E. Sickles, Major-General 
G. M. Dodge, Major-General J. M. Corse, Major-General 
Wager Swayne, Major-General Stewart L.Woodford, Briga- 
dier-General Jno. Moore, Brigadier-General H. G. Wright. 
These pall-bearers will accompany the remains as far as the 
train at Jersey City. Six sergeants will proceed to St. 
Louis. The special escort of honor from the Grand Army, 
Lafayette Post, will form on the right and left of the 
caisson. 

The order of column following the family and relatives 
will be as follows : 

(i) The President and Vice-President of the United 
States. 

(2) The members of the Cabinet. 

(3) Ex-Presidents of the United States. 

(4) Committees of the Senate and House of Representa- 
tives. 

(5) The Governor of the State and the Mayor of the 
City of New York. 

These officers will follow the family and relatives as rep- 
resentative mourners. 

(6) The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United 
States, and officers of the Army and Navy 

(7) The Grand Army of the Republic. 

(8) The Corps of Cadets, United States Military Acad- 
emy, Lieutenant-Colonel Hawkins commanding, 

(9) The National Guard, under Brigadier-General Louis 
Fitzgerald. 

Delegates and representatives from veterans, sons of 



THE FUNERAL ORDERS. 485 

veterans and other organizations unassigned, under charge 
of General David Morrison. 

The line of march will be as follows: Eighth avenue to 
Fifty-ninth street, to Fifth avenue, to Broadway, to Fifty- 
seventh street, to Fifth avenue, to Washington Square: 
there the column, excepting the regulation military escort, 
will be dismissed. 

This escort will continue its march by Waverley Place to 
Macdougal street, to King street, to Hudson street, to 
Watts street, at corner of Canal, through Watts street to 
junction with West street. 

Veteran organizations not moving with column will form 
across West st. from Watts st. to the ferry landing, foot of 
Desbrosses st. The carriages in the procession will be 
restricted to the pall-bearers, family and relatives, and 
invited guests. 

The column will be commanded by Major-General O. O. 
Howard, United States Army. 

Major-General Daniel Butterfield is designated as senior 
aide to the General Commanding and as marshal. 

The following aides are announced : General Horace Por- 
ter, to accompany the President of the United States ; Gen- 
eral M. D. Leggett, to accompany the Cabinet ; the Hon. 
Joseph H. Choate, to accompany ex-President Hayes ; the 
Hon. Chauncey M. Depew, to accompany ex-President 
Cleveland; General Floyd Clarkson, in charge of the Grand 
Army; Major-General H. A. Barnum, to accompany the 
Superintendent of the Military Academy; General Robert 
Nugent, formerly of General Sherman's regiment, to take 
charge of the veterans at Desbrosses st. David Morrison, 
79th Veterans, in charge of veteran organizations in columns 
other than the Grand Army; Mr. Kiliaen Van Rensselaer, 
to accompany carriages of relatives. 



486 A SAD HOME-COMING. 

Mr. Loyall Farragut. 

Captain H. P, Kingsbury, 6th Cavalry. 

Captain A. M. Wetherill, 6th Infantry. 

First Lieutenant L. A. Craig, 6th Cavalry. 

First Lieutenant Guy Howard, I2th Infantry, Aide-dc- 
Camp. 

First Lieutenant Harry C. Benson, 4th Cavalry. 

First Lieutenant Charles G. Treat, 5th Artillery, Aide-de 
Camp. 

First Lieutenant W. W. Forsyth, 6th Cavalry ; Second 
Lieutenant Samuel Rodman, ist Artillery, Aides-de-Camp. 

The churches of New York City are requested to have 
their bells tolled at half-minute intervals during the move- 
ment of the columns, from 2 until 4 P. M. ; and the churches 
of Jersey City are requested to toll their bells in like man- 
ner from 5 to 6 P. M., on Thursday. 

The headquarters of the General commanding the 
column and the Marshal, will be announced to-morrow. 
The details of the formation in line of the respective di- 
visions will be communicated to the commander or chiefs 
from headquarters. H. W. Slocum. 

Oliver O. Howard. 

Late on Wednesday night the steamship Majestic 
arrived at New York, with the Rev. Thomas E. Sherman 
among its passengers. When the pilot boarded her, Mr. 
Sherman eagerly asked him about the General. 

" I'm unable to say," replied the pilot, adding that he 
. only knew of General Sherman's sickness, as he had been 
out at sea for some days. 

When the mail steamer came alongside, Mr. Sherman 
repeated his anxious inquiry. The answer came back, 
" General Sherman's funeral takes place to-morrow." 



THE PUBLIC TRIBUTE. 489 

The day before the funeral the house was opened for a 
few hours, and the public were allowed to enter and view 
the face of the dead. Thousands availed themselves of the 
privilege. " It was an interesting crowd of people. There 
were white-haired veterans of the war; there were people 
in the clothing of luxury, people clad like beggars, and 
mothers with babies in their arms leading children by the 
hand. There were schoolboys come to look at the man 
about whom their histories tell them, come to see if the 
face they had seen in the pictures was indeed the face of 
the great General. There were young girls there, and 
young men also. It was a crowd representative of the 
whole American people. Hebrews came out of the depths 
of the east side and Germans came from Hoboken. All 
passed in review before the man who will review armies no 
more. Their uncovered heads were bowed. Some of the 
very old women who had given their sons to this leader 
for their country's sake sobbed as they passed on." 

It was on a glorious winter day, February 19, that the 
dust of the great soldier was carried from his former home 
to make the journey to its final resting place at St. Louis. 
As the funeral procession started, bells of the City were 
tolled; buildings everywhere displayed tokens of honor 
and signs of mourning; the streets were thronged with 
sympathetic spectators ; and thirty thousand men marched 
with measured tread behind the coffin that contained the 
earthly remains of their loved and honored leader. Con- 
spicuous in the company were General Schofield, the head 
of the army ; General Howard and General Slocum, Sher- 
man's lieutenants on the march through Georgia ; General 
Corse, of Kenesaw fame ; General Johnston, Sherman's old 
antagonist; and Professor Kendrick, one of those who 
taught Sherman the art of war. The President, the Vice- 
28 



490 THE FUNERAL CORTEGE. 

President, the two living ex-Presidents, and the members of 
the Cabinet were also in the company. 

There was a large contingent from the regular army, with 
General Howard in command. Then came the Military 
Order of the Loyal Legion ; long columns of the Grand 
Army of the Republic ; West Point Cadets ; the Sons of 
Veterans ; and delegations from various clubs, commercial 
organizations, and the municipal government. 

The long procession wound its way through the streets 
of New York to the Jersey City ferry. There the coffin 
and its immediate escort were taken across the river and 
placed on the funeral train. General Sherman's horse, 
which with empty saddle had followed the funeral caisson, 
was led up to the train and the saddle and boots were placed 
by the coffin in the funeral car. The train consisted of an 
engine and eight cars. Generals Howard and Slocum, and 
Surgeon Alexander, besides six sergeants of the regular 
army, acted as a guard of honor. The Governor of New 
Jersey through his staff acted as an escort through Jersey 
City ; and the Governor of Pennsylvania and his staff in a 
special car went through to Harrisburg. 

It was early in the evening when the train left Jersey 
City. At almost every station that it passed vast throngs 
assembled and bands of music played solemn dirges. It 
was midnight when it reached Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 
yet a multitude stood in the darkness in the open air to do 
it honor. In the morning it passed through Pittsburg in 
the midst of a heavy rain storm. Later in the day the sky 
was clear and the sun shone brilliantly. At Steubenville, 
Ohio, seventy-five veterans of the army stood on the plat- 
form as the train went by, nearly all of them old comrades 
of Sherman. At Columbus, Ohio, the train paused for a 
few minutes while Grand Army veterans were allowed t» 



THE LAST SAD RITES. 491 

gaze upon the casket. At Indianapolis another stop was 
made while many distinguished people paid their tribute of 
honor to the mighty dead. 

It was Saturday morning when the train reached St. 
Louis. For several days the weather there had been 
stormy, but this morning the skies were clear and the 
sunshine bright. Thousands of people thronged about the 
station, waiting there for hours before the arrival of the train. 
At last, at a little before nine o'clock, the funeral cars slowly 
rolled into the station, the engine bell solemnly tolling. 

Elaborate preparations had been made at St. Louis for a 
military funeral befitting the great soldier whose dust was 
to be returned to the dust from which if came. Two hours 
after the arrival of the train the procession was formed, 
under the lead of General Wesley Merritt, and it solemnly 
wound its way through the city which for many years was 
Sherman's favorite home, to Calvary Cemetery. The first 
division consisted of detachments of the Regular Army, 
escorting the casket, which was borne on a caisson drawn 
by four black horses and covered with the stars and stripes. 
Ransom Post, No. 131, Department of Missouri, G. A. R., 
acted as the immediate guard of ' onor. Following closely 
were the members of the President's Cabinet and the com- 
mittees from the two houses of Congress. The second 
division was made up of the Loyal Legion and the Society 
of the Army of the Tennessee. In it were ex-President 
Mayes, Judge Gresham and General Lew Wallace. The 
third division was composed of Posts of the Grand Army 
of the Republic and Sons of Veterans. In the fourth 
division were militia regiments from various States and 
many civil officials. Civic societies made up the fifth 
division, and various city delegations and the general 
public the sixth and last division. 



492 THE LAST SAD RITES. 

As the long procession wound its way up the slope to 
Calvary Cemetery it presented a view of solemn but inspir- 
ing splendor. The arms of the troops flashed in the sun- 
light, a multitude of flags fluttered on the breeze, and the 
subdued strains of funeral music made the air tremulous. 

At last, six miles from the railroad station, the plot was 
reached where were the graves of the wife and two children 
of the departed hei o. The flag covered casket was borne 
upon the shoulders of eight sturdy soldiers to the open 
grave. Then came the command, " Present Arms ! " And 
every soldier stood motionless as a graven statue. Then the 
Rev. Thomas E. Sherman, clad in slight vestments, stepped 
forward and began the service for the dead over his father's 
dust, standing, as he did so, in the shadow of his mother's 
monument. He repeated the words of the Litany, translat- 
ing prayer and scripture into English, in a clear, manly voice, 
and offered a touching extemporaneous prayer. After the 
last solemn words a company of troops stepped forward. 
Three times were given the commands, " Load ! " " Ready ! " 
"Aim!" "Fire!" and three times the rifles spoke their loud 
farewell salute. Then the artillery posted near by thundered 
forth their echoing responses. When the last reverberations 
died away a solitary trumpeter stepped forward to the foot 
of the soldier's grave and sounded " Taps." 

Thus ended the last impressive scene. 

In his life Sherman had left with his friends full instruc- 
tions concerning his funeral, his grave and his monument. 
He directed that the only inscription above his dust should 
be his name, his rank, the date of his birth, the date of his 
death, and the simple words, " True and Honest." A fitting 
epitaph for one who was truly, as was written of another 
great soldier, " In his simplicity sublime." 



CHAPTER XXX. 

TRIBUTES. 

A National Outburst ok Grief — The President's Message to Con- 
gress — The Senate's Memorial Resolutions — Senator Hawley's 
Eulogy — A Touching Tribute from a Souther;^ Senator — Speeches 
BY Senators who were ai^o Soldiers— Eloquent Words from 
Lawrence Barrett — Judge Gresham Recalls Sherman's Prophetic 
Words — A Comparison Between Sherman and Le?, — General 
Slocum's Reminiscences — Chauncey Depew o«n Sherman in Social 
Life. 

During General Sherman's last illness the entire nation 
listened with anxious suspense to every word of news that 
came from his home, and millions of hearts hourly offered 
fervent prayers for his recovery. The announcement of his 
death was not unexpected, for it had been known for several 
days that recovery was impossible ; but it was none the less 
a shock to the public. Everywhere expressions of grief 
were heard and emblems of mourning were seen. Flags 
were placed at half-mast and buildings draped in black ; 
bells were tolled and memorial meetings held. Messages 
of sympathy and condolence came to his family by mail 
and telegraph from every part of the world. Only a few 
irreconcilable spirits here and there in the South spoke 
against him, and made his death an occasion for venting 
their spleen against the patriot who had subdued the 
rebellion. 

493 



494 THE PRESIDENTS MESSAGE. 

When the news of Sherman's death reached Washington, 
the President, who had himself been an officer m Sherman's 
army in Georgia, sent a message announcing the fact to 
Congress, in which he said : 

" The death of Wilham Tecumseh Sherman is an event 
that will bring sorrow to the heart of every patriotic citizen. 
No living American was so loved and venerated as he. To 
look upon his face, to hear his name, was to have one's love 
of country intensified. He served his country, not for fame, 
not out of a sense of professional duty, but for love of the 
flag and of the beneficent civil institutions of which it was 
the emblem. He was an ideal soldier, and shared to the 
fullest the esprit de corps of the army ; but he cherished 
the civil institutions organized under the Constitution, and 
was a soldier only that these might be perpetuated in 
undiminished usefulness and honor. He was in nothing an 
imitator. 

"A profound student of military science and precedent, 
he drew from them principles and suggestions, and so 
adapted them to novel conditions that his campaigns will 
continue to be the profitable study of the military profes- 
sion throughout the world. His general nature made him 
comrade to every soldier of the great Union Army. No 
presence was so welcome and inspiring at the camp-fire or 
commandery as his. His career was complete ; his honors 
were full. He had received from the Government the 
highest rank known to our military establishment, and 
from the people unstinted gratitude and love. No word of 
mine can add to his fame. His death has followed in start- 
ling quickness that of the Admiral of the Navy ; and it is 
a sad and notable incident that when the Department under 
which he served shall have put on the usual emblems of 
mourning, four of the eight Executive Departments will be 



ACTIO jY of the SEXATE. 495 

simultaneously draped in black, and one other has but to- 
day removed the crape from its walls." 

Senator Hawley, of Connecticut, at once offered the fol- 
lowing resolutions, which were unanimously adopted by the 
Senate: 

" Resolved, That the Senate receive with profound sor- 
)w the announcement of the death of William Tecumseh 
Sherman, late General of the armies of the United States. 

"Resolved, That the Senate renews its acknowledgment 
of the inestimable services which he rendered to his coun- 
try in the day of its extreme peril, laments the great loss 
which the country has sustained, and deeply sympathizes 
with his family in its bereavement. 

" Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be for- 
warded to the family of the deceased." 

Mr. Hawley said : " Mr. President, at this hour, the Sen- 
ate, the Congress and the people of the United States are 
one family. What we have been daily expecting has hap- 
pened ; General Sherman has received and obeyed his last 
order. He was a great soldier by the judgment of the 
great soldiers of the world. In time of peace he had been 
a great citizen, glowing and abounding with love of country 
and of all humanity. His glorious soul appeared in every 
look, gesture and word. The history of our country is rich 
in soldiers who have set examples of simple soldierly 
obedience to the civil law and of self-abnegation. Wash- 
ington, Grant, Sheridan and Sherman lead the list. Sher- 
man was the last of the illustrious trio who were by universal 
consent the foremost figures in the armies of the Union in 
the late war. Among the precious traditions to pass into 
our history for the admiration of the old and the instruction 
of the young was their friendship, their most harmonious 
co-operation, without a shadow of ambition or pride. When 



49^ SENATOR HAWLEY'S SPEECH. 

General Grant was called to Washington to take command 
of the armies of the Union, his great heart did not forget 
the men who stood by him." 

Here Mr. Hawley read the letter from Grant to Sherman, 
written at that time, expressing thanks to him and McPher- 
son as the men, above all others, to whom he owed success, 
and Sherman's letter, in reply, saying that General Grant 
did himself injustice and them too much honor. 

Mr. Hawley closed his remarks, his voice frequently giv- 
ing way from grief and emotion, by reading the following 
passages from Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress": "After this 
it was noised about that Mr. Valiant-for-Truth was taken 
with a summons. When he understood it he called for his 
friends and told them of it. Then said he, ' I am going 
to my fathers ; and though with great difficulty I got hither, 
yet now I do not repent me of all the trouble I have been 
at to arrive where I am. My sword I give to him that shall 
succeed me in my pilgrimage, and my courage and skill to 
him that can get them. My marks and scars I carry with 
me, to be a witness for me that I have fought His battles 
who will now be a rewarder.' When the day that he must 
go hence was come many accompanied him to the river side, 
into which as he went he said : ' Death, where is thy sting?' 
And as he went down deeper he said : ' Grave, where is thy 
victory?' So he passed over and all the trumpets sounded 
for him on the other side." 

Senator Morgan, of Alabama, said : " On this occasion 
of National solemnity I would lead the thoughts and 
sympathies of the American Senate back to those days in 
our history when General Sherman was, by a choice greatly 
honorable to his nature, a citizen of the State of Louisiana, 
and presided over a college for the instructions of Southern 
youth in the arts of war and the arts of peace. Those were 



A SOUTHEKN^ STATESMAN'S TRIBUTE. 497 

not worse days than some we have seen during the last 
half of this century. In those days, notwithstanding the 
conditions of the South, in view of its institutions inherited 
from the older States of the East, every American was as 
welcome in Louisiana and the South as he was elsewhere 
in the Union. We are gradually and surely returning to 
that cordial state of feeling which was unhappily interrupted 
by the Civil War. 

" Our fathers taught us that it was the highest patriotism 
to defend the Constitution of the country. But they had 
left within its body guarantees of an institution that the 
will of the majority finally determined should no longer 
exist and which put the conscience of the people to the 
severest test. Looking back now to the beginning of this 
century and to the conflict of opinion and of material 
interests engendered by those guarantees, we can see that 
they never could have been stricken out of the organic law 
except by a conflict of arms. The conflict came, as it was 
bound to come, and Americans became enemies, as they 
were bound to be, in the settlement of issues that involved 
so much of money, such radical political results and the 
pride of a great and illustrious race of people. The power 
rested with the victors at the close of the conflict, but not 
all the honors of the desperate warfare. Indeed, the 
survivors are now winning honors, enriched with justice 
and magnanimity, not less worthy than those who won the 
battles in their labors to restore the country to its former 
feeling of fraternal regard and to unity of sentiment and 
action and to promote its welfare. The fidelity of the great 
General who has just departed in the ripeness of age, and 
with a history marked by devotion to his flag, was the true 
and simple faith of an American to his convictions of duty. 

" We differed with him and contested campaigns and 



49« '4 SOUTHERN STATESMAN'S TRIBUTE. 

battlefields with hin\ ; but we welcome the history of the 
great soldier as the proud inheritance of our country. We 
do this as cordially and as sincerely as we gave him welcome 
in the South, as one of our people, when our sons were 
confided to his care, in a relation that (next to paternity) 
had its influence upon the young men of the country. The 
great military leaders on both sides of our Civil War are 
rapidly marching across the border to a land where history 
and truth and justice must decide upon every man's career. 
When they meet there, they will be happy to find that the 
honor of human actions is not always measured by their 
wisdom but by the motives in which they had their origin. 
I cherish the proud belief that the heroes of the Civil War 
will find that, measured by this standard, none of them on 
either side were delinquent, and they will be happy in an 
association that will never end — and will never be disturbed 
by an evil thought, jealousy or distrust. When a line so 
narrow divides us from those high courts in which our 
actions are to be judged by their motives, and when so 
many millions now living, and increasing millions to follow, 
are to be affected by the wisdom of our enactments, we 
will do well to give up this day to reflection upon our duties 
and (in sympathy with this great country) to dedicate the 
day to his memory. In such a retrospect we shall find an 
admonition that an American Senate should meet, on this 
side of the fatal line of death, as the American Generals 
meet on the other side, to render justice to each other and 
to make our beloved country as happy, comparatively, as 
we should wish the great beyond to be to those great 
spirits." 

Senator Manderson said that as the hours of the last two 
or three days passed away he had not had the heart to 
make such preparation for the event which he had feared 



SENATOR MANDKRSOJV'S Em.OGY. 499 

and dreaded, as niij^ht seem to be meet and appropriate. 
The death of General Sherman came (although one might 
have been prepared for it) as the unexpected. It was a 
day of mourning and grief Here, at the Capital of the 
Nation, lay the body of the great Admiral, the chief of the 
Navy; and in New York was being prepared for the last 
sad rites the corpse of the greatest military genius which 
the Nation had produced. General Sherman had been 
great not only as a military leader, but he had been great 
as a civilian. Who was there that had heard him tell of 
the events of his wonderful career who had not been filled 
with admiration and respect for his abilities ? It seemed to 
him that General Sherman was perhaps the only man in 
the North who, in the early days of the war, seemed to 
appreciate what the terrible conflict meant. It was recol- 
lected how it was said in 1861 that he must be insane to 
make the suggestions which he made. These suggestions 
were so startling to the country that he (Mr. Manderson) 
did not wonder that men doubted General Sherman's 
sanity. Like men of great genius, he seemed to have lived 
in that debatable ground exifiting between the line of per- 
fect sanity and insanity. 

After a review of General Sherman's military career, 
opening at Shiloh and closing at Atlanta, Mr. Manderson 
read General Sherman's letter to the Mayor and Common 
Council of Atlanta, beginning : " We must have peace, not 
only at Atlanta, but in all America." 

In conclusion, Mr. Manderson said : " General Sher- 
man was estimable as a citizen, and as fully appreciated the 
duties of a civilian, as he was admirable as a soldier. But 
this strife, which we have watched for the last few days, 
has ceased. The conflict has ended. The Nation has 
witnessed it. Sixty millions of people have stood in 



500 rRinUTEs from old soldiers. 

silence, watching for the supreme result. Death, ever vic- 
torious, is again a victor. A great conqueror is himself 
conquered. Our Captain lies dead. The pale lip sayeth 
to the sunken eye : ' Where is thy kindly glance ? And 
where thy winning smile?'" 

Senator Davis said he could hardly trust himself to 
speak. He had been a soldier under General Sherman, 
and had received acts of kindness from him when he was a 
subaltern. As the years had gone by, and the widening 
avenues of life had opened up ways of promotion, that 
acquaintance had ripened into friendship, and, he might 
say, into intimacy. He had first seen General Sherman at 
the siege of Vicksburg, twenty-eight years ago, when he 
was the very incarnation of war; but to-day that spirit had 
taken up its rest in the everlasting tabernacle of death. It 
was fit that the clanging of the great city should be hushed 
in silence, and that the functions of government should be 
suspended while the. soul of the great commander was pass- 
ing to Him who gives and Him who takes away. No 
more were heard the thunders of the captains, and the 
shouting. The soul of the great warrior had passed and 
was standing in judgment before Him who was the God of 
Battles, and was also the God of Love. 

Senator Pierce, as one of the soldiers who had served 
under General Sherman in the Army of the Tennessee, 
gave some reminiscences of the war and paid a glowing 
eulogy to his old commander. 

Senator Evarts said that the afflicting intelligence of the 
death of General Sherman had touched the Senate with 
the deepest sensibilities ; that that grief was not a private 
grief; nor was it limited by any narrower bounds than 
those of the whole CQuntry. The affections of the people 
toward its honorable and honored men did not always find 



THE LAST OF THE GENERALS. 501 

a warm effusion, because circumstances might not have 
brought the personal career, the personal traits, the personal 
affectionate disposition of great men, to the close and 
general observation of the people at large. But of General 
Sherman no such observation could be truly made. What- 
ever of affection and of grief Senators might feel was felt, 
perhaps, more intensely in the hearts of the whole people. 
To observers of his death, as they had been of his life, 
General Sherman had been yesterday the most celebrated 
living American. He was now added to that longer and 
more illustrious list of celebrated men of the country for 
the hundred years of National life. One star differed from 
another star in glory, but yet all of those stars had a glory 
to which nothing could be added by eulogy, and from 
which nothing could be taken away by detraction. They 
shone in their own effulgence, and borrowed no light from 
honor or respect. It had been said already that General 
Sherman was the last of the commanders. If those who 
had passed out of life still watched over and took interest in 
what transpired in this world (and no one doubted it), what 
great shades must have surrounded the death-bed of Gen- 
eral Sherman! And who could imagine a greater death- 
bed for a great life than that which had been watched over 
in a neighboring city during the week? It had been 
reserved for him (Mr. Evarts) at the declining hour of the 
day, as a Senator from the State which General Sherman 
had honored by his late home, and in which he had died, 
to move, out of respect to his memory, that the Senate do 
now adjourn. 

Lawrence Barrett, the eminent actor, paid this eloquent 
tribute to his friend in the columns of The New York 
Tribune : 

" The funeral cortege has passed. The emblems of war. 



502 AN ACTOR'S EULOGY. 

which had for many years been laid aside, have once again 
been seen sadly embellishing the soldierly equipage where- 
upon the lifeless body rests. Old comrades, lifelong friends, 
statesmen and great civilians have followed the mournful 
pageant with fruitless regrets. The instruments which in 
battle days sounded to the charge or the retreat, which 
sang reveille to the waking morn or gave the sternest good- 
night, when all was well ; which through a quarter of a 
century of peace have greeted the retired warrior at feast 
and civic parade with harmonies upon his achievements — 
these now beat the last mournful cadences leading to an 
earthly camping-ground beneath whose sod the mortal 
remains of our great soldier shall rest beside his loved ones, 
forever dead to triumph or threnody. 

"The last of the immortal trio has joined his waiting 
comrades. Already in the fields of the blessed one may 
believe that their spirits sadly regard our simple tributes to 
the earthly casket which holds the dust of Sherman. The 
mourning thousands who have lined the highway of the 
sad procession have gone to their homes with a tenderer 
reflection upon the meanings of existence and death. And 
even as his valor in the written story had ^wakened a 
stronger patriotism than had before existed, so in his death 
and in the last tributes paid to the hero a fresher and purer 
sense of patriotic duty springs up in our hearts to link us 
to the inheritance he helped to gain. 

" History will gather up and weave into enduring form 
the achievements of the soldier and the statesman. In that 
final summary sectional prejudice and personal bias may 
bear their natural parts. Only in a remote future, when all 
the sorrowful effects of the great Civil War have lost their 
nearness — only when its beneficence in knitting closer the 
bonds of friendship and National brotherhood shall be 



ENSHRINED IN HISTORY. 503 

recognized, when no newly-made grave sends up reproach- 
ful reminders to bereaved hearts, only then can the hero's 
place be immutably fixed on the heroic calendar. To the 
scholar and the sage may be left that office. The records 
of his military life, his general orders, his plans, his deeds, 
will guide the historian into a proper estimate of the dead 
soldier's station in the military Valhalla. 

"But how shall the innumerable civic deeds of this dead 
man be recorded or find place for reference ? In the musty 
archives of no war office are they registered. Upon no 
enduring parchment are they written. They would escape 
definition in the attempt to define them. They are engraved 
upon hearts still living — they sweeten the lives still unsum- 
moned — they are too sacred for utterance. Yet they are 
the crown of Sherman's achievement. Wherever this 
man's hand was extended it brought glad strength ; wher- 
ever his voice was heard it aroused emotions of grateful 
tenderness; wherever his form was seen it gladdened 
loving eyes. He survived a civil war for a quarter of a 
century — to show to us that the soldier's armor is less 
becoming than the garb of civil life, that the pomp and 
circumstance of war are loud preludes of beneficent peace. 

" No intrusion of personal relation shall sully this poor 
testament to the dead. No one can claim the inheritance 
of such a large-hearted bounty. But in the name of the 
drama which he loved, in the names of the actors whom 
he respected, it \% proper that no tardy recognition should 
follow his death. He had a scholar's love for what was 
highest in the art — whether in the walk of tragedy or 
comedy. He had a warm affection for those who labored 
in this atmosphere. He had also a large sympathy for 
those performances which afford recreation and amusement 
to the largest class of the community. His voice was 



504 



THE TRIBUTE OF ART. 



never hushed when called to aid in the needs of the player. 
He was no ordinary first-nighter. He had a simple and 
affecting belief that his presence might be useful to those 
who were seeking public suffrage across the foot-lights, 
and he could not but know that his indorsement was 
valuable and trustworthy. He was one of the incor- 
porators of The Players,' upon whose muster-roll no nobler 
name appears. His imposing character gave dignity to 
those deliberative meetings out of which that organization 
grew into its present useful life. 

"And should contemporary history fail to do him justice 
— should the bitterness of the Civil War make a just 
estimate of his worth impossible in biographical annals — 
should envy or malice deface the white shaft which should 
symbolize his deeds — then the dramatist will lovingly bear 
up the garments of his glory — keep them from soil within 
that Valhalla where Caesar and Alexander, Frederick and 
Gustavus, live imperishably enshrined. Therein shall be 
cherished the insignia and the characteristics of the most 
notable figure of modern or ancient soldiery. 

" Again in future nights shall we see the pomp and glory 
of Union making war — once again its gallant leader shall 
pass before the eyes of a curious posterity in the drama's 
immortal keeping, and the gallant spirit whose influence in 
life so often attended the presentment of Caesar and Antony 
and Cassius and the Roman group shall, in death, mingle 
with their essence, tenderly restored by the dramatists 
whom he inspired, by the actors whom he loved." 

Said Walter Q. Gresham, United States Judge : " I 
belonged to General Sherman's command when he entered 
Kentucky, at Louisville, in the summer of '6i, since which 
time we have maintained an unbroken friendship. 

'* Besides being a man of great genius he was generoMS, 



JUDGE GRESHAM'S WORDS. 



507 



frank and confiding. No officer of high rank whom I met 
during the war was more patient than General Sherman 
with subordinates, so long as he believed that they were 
trying to do their duty ; and no officer was more merciless 
in dealing with shirks, cowards and pretenders. 

" In brilliancy of conception and boldness of execution, 
perhaps he had no equal on either side during the civil 
war. Like other great and successful men he encountered 
the envy and jealousy of those less gifted and magnani- 
mous than himself 

" He was intensely patriotic and always willing to endure 
hardship and privation. His patriotism was of that intense 
kind that he would at any time have willingly sacrificed 
his life for the cause he served so brilliantly and well. His 
great courage, generosity, frankness, and patriotism en- 
deared him to all the officers and men who served under 
him, and in every State of the Union they are now mourn- 
ing his loss, 

" I spent some time with him at his home in New York 
three weeks ago last Sunday. He was then well, cheerful, 
and bright. He indulged much during the afternoon in 
reminiscence, and related a number of incidents of the war 
which I had forgotten. He mentioned a large number of 
mutual army friends who had died, and remarked : 

" ' Gresham, we will join them soon.' " 

Ex-President Hayes paid this tribute to his military 
genius: 

"The only comparison of value that I choose to offer 
comes from abroad. We hear in regard to Sherman, from 
the French generals nothing but praise ; from the German 
generals the same; from the English, General Wolseley 
speaks of him in terms that are altogether complimentary. 
Says Wolseley, however, 'Lee was a great general, and 



508 SHERMAN AND LEE COMPARED. 

next to him was Sherman.' I would change the order. I 
admit for Lee a great character, accomphshments as a soldier 
and as a man, praise in every way except his unfortunate 
lack of wisdom. I do not now speak of motives, but of 
the military genius who was the military genius of the war. 
Place Lee where Sherman was. Place Sherman v/here Lee 
was. Place Lee at Chattanooga, even witli Sherman's 
army. Would he have found his way to Atlanta, and at 
Atlanta cut loose from his base of supplies and entered 
upon the wild march for the sea three hundred miles away? 
I believe no man lacking the genius of Sherman would 
have entered on that march to the sea. But come nearer 
home. Lee had the same opportunity, only it was ten 
times better than that Sherman had at Atlanta. Suppose 
Sherman had been in command of the army of Lee. Wash-^ 
ington at that time lay completely in the power of an 
enterprising and daring commander, and with Washington 
captured, intervention from abroad would have come. I 
do not predict final defeat, for throughout all the action 
the finger of God was present, guiding and directing. I 
cannot believe that under any circumstances the cause of 
liberty and union could have failed, but at Washington was 
the chance of victory, and Lee failed to take it. More 
than that, he went to the Potomac, crossed it, and our 
disorganized army, without a commander, being divided 
between Pope and McClellan, was ten days behind him, 
and he marched on into Pennsylvania; and what did he do, 
and what would Sherman have done ? Lee did not dare to 
lose communication with his base of supplies, and was 
driven back from Antietam with a divided army. Had 
Sherman been at the head of that army, and that distance 
between him and the pursuing forces, he would have gone 
to Philadelphia, FittL-burg, Buffalo, Cleveland, Cinciunati, 



GENERAL SLOCUAP S REMINISCENCES. 509 

and then cut his road back into Virginia. A little band 
of 4000 men under Morgan went through Ohio and In 
diana, and Lee, with his great army, with nothing before 
him but wealth and supplies and cities able to pay tribute 
for not being burned, is not to be compared with Sherman. " 
General Slocum said: "I have been acquainted with 
General Sherman since the beginning of the war. I first 
met him at Bull Run and afterward in the West, when my 
corps was sent there to reinforce Rosecrans. At that time 
he was tall and angular and his general appearance was 
much the same as it was in later life. My services with him 
began just before the capture of Atlanta. In that campaign 
the minutest details were attended to by General Sherman 
himself Details as to the exact amount of ammunition to 
be taken by each corps, the exact amount of stores of each 
and every kind, were specified in his orders. During the 
campaign he alternated between General Howard and myself, 
riding with General Howard one day and with me the next. 
He was a great and most interesting talker, and the pleas- 
antest days that I spent during the war were those when I 
was accompanied by General Sherman. He had been sta- 
tioned at Charleston before the war and was familiar with 
the topography of South Carolina. He had information 
that no maps contained. He seldom forgot anything that 
could ever be of any use to him to remember. Once I 
thought I would test his knowledge by introducing the sub- 
ect of the manufacture of salt, a subject with which I thought 
1 was perfectly familiar, having lived at Syracuse. I found 
that he knew more about it than I did. He said that h s 
wife had some relatives there, and that years befo.'-e he had 
visited them and had been taken through the salt work . 
Not a fact connected with the manufacture of salt had es- 
caped his memory. 



5IO 



MR. DEPEW'S TRIBUTE. 



" Sherman was greatly beloved by his soldiers, partly for 
their success under him and partly for his kind treatment 
of them. He rarely consulted his subordinates, however, 
though he accepted suggestions when he thought them 
good. Still he was intolerant of negligence or carelessness, 
and punished it severely. He was not a bigoted man on the 
subject of religion. I am confident that v/hile he felt deeply 
disappointed at his son's becoming a Roman Catholic priest, 
the disappointment was due more to his having abandoned 
a profession which General Sherman had set his heart upon 
his following. He wanted his oldest son to become a lawyer. 
The son studied for that profession and the opening of his 
career was exceedingly brilliant. 

" General Sherman told me frequently that he Vv^ished to 
have nothing to do with politics, and after General Grant had 
been elected .President he told me that he thought Grant 
had made a mistake, as his reputation as a soldier was worth 
more than any office. The last time I saw him was at the 
New England dinner in this city. We sat side by side, and 
he referred to the subject, and spoke of the number of bright 
men he had seen ruined by politics." 

Chauncey Depew also knew Sherman well, particularly 
in his later years, in New York. " He was," said Mr. 
Depew, " at once the most distinguished and delightful 
figure in our metropolitan society. He seemed to have a 
most elastic constitution, and endured an amount of social 
obligation which would have tired cut and used up many a 
younger and stronger man. He loved to be in the company 
of men and women. I think he dined out every night of 
his life, and very often he would be found at late suppers, 
especially theatrical suppers. 

" He was, easily, at any table, at the head wherever he sat, 
and had a wonderful faculty for entertaining conversation. 



SHERMAN AS AN OR A TOR. 



5TI 



No person ever heard liim say a disagreeable thing. With 
the most positive, pronounced and aggressive opinions on 
all questions, and never concealing them, he so stated them 
as never to offend an adversary. His attention to ladies 
was a most delightful exhibition of knightly and soldierly 
courtesy. There was in his manner and speech something 
of deference, respect and admiration, which conveyed a 
more signal compliment than can be wrought in phrase or 
flattery. At a night supper where the guests were mostly 
theatrical people he was, in his joyous hilarity, like a boy. 
In the speech which he invariably made there v/as much 
of the fatherly feeling of an old man rejoicing in the artistic 
success of his auditors, and to those who deserved it, 
whether actors or actresses, a neatly turned compliment 
which expressed all that a tramed dramatic critic could say, 
and became in the recollection of the happy recipient the 
best memory of his or her life. 

" I have been with him at hundreds of public dinners, 
and in studying closely his mental methods and habits of 
speech, have come to regard him as the readiest and most 
original talker in the United States. I don't believe that he 
ever made the slightest preparation, but he absorbed appar- 
ently while thinking and while carrying on a miscellaneous 
conversation with those about him, the spirit of the occa- 
sion, and his speech, when he finished, seemed to be as 
much of a surprise to himself as it was to the audience, and 
the work of a superior and exceedingly active intelligence 
which included him as well as the rest among its auditors. 

" Most men, and I have met several, who had this fac- 
ulty, were cans of dynamite, whose explosion was almost 
certain to produce most disastrous results. But General 
Sherman rarely failed in striking out a line of thought 
different from and more original than any other speaker, 



512 



SHERMAN AS AN ORATOR. 



and in sometimes giving utterance to the boldest thought, 
yet always in harmony with the occasion, 

" I recall the last two times that I met him as especially- 
significant of his conversational talent and power of public 
speech on a sudden call. I sat near him at the dinner given 
in his honor by ex-Chief Justice Daly about a month ago. 
General Sherman rarely talked about himself, but on this 
:)Ccasion he became reminiscent and entertained us for more 
than an hour with free-hand sketches of his adventures on 
the plains in early days, and of the original people whom 
he met among the early settlers. These recollections if 
taken down at the moment would have proved an invalu- 
able contribution to the history of the period covering the 
growth of transportation on the plains, from the v/agon to 
the railroad, and the story of the bold and adventurous 
spirits who were the pioneers of Western civilization, many 
of whom he knew personally. 

" The last time I met him he promised, after a dinner to 
which he was engaged, to do me the favor, though he said 
it was asking a good deal at his time of life, to come into 
the Yale Alumni Association dinner and say a word to the 
guests. His appearance there, about half-past ii, was an 
event which the alumni of Yale who were present, most 
of whom were young men who had never seen him before, 
will remember as long as they live. 

" I have felt for many years that, in the interests of the 
period during which he was one of the most conspicuous 
actors, and with one exception the most conspicuous, he 
ought always to have been accompanied by a stenographer. 

" I have known most of the men who have been famous 
in the country, in every walk of life, in the last twenty-five 
years sufficiently well to hear them frequently talk in a free 
and confidential way. General Sherman is one of the few 



SHEKiMAiV AS AN ORATOR. 



513 



who never bore you, whose conversation is always interest- 
ing, and no matter how long he talks, he leaves \'ou easier 
and hungry for more. I was with him at the time I deli- 
vered the oration before the Army of the Potomac at Sara- 
toga. I was with him from 10 o'clock in the morning until 
6 in the afternoon, and he talked without cessation for the 
whole period. It was a test that few men could have stood, 
and the three others who were with him in the carriage 
only regretted that day was limited by the light." 



CHAPTER XXXI. 

IN MEMORIAM. 

New York's Official Tribute — The Consolidated Stock Exchange — 
The Union League Club — The Republican County Committee — 
The Grand Army of the Republic — The Chamber of Commerce — 
Speech by the Hon. Carl Schurz— The Ohio Society^Brief Words 
from Many Friends. 

The official tribute of respect paid by New York City to 
General Sherman was expressed by the Mayor in this 
message : 
" The Honorable the Board of Aldermen : 

" It is with great sorrow that I officially announce to you 
the death of General William T. Sherman, the great soldier, 
the distinguished patriot, and our most beloved citizen. 
On his retirement from the Army of the United States he 
came to live with us. Foremost in public spirit and always 
ready to aid in charitable and civic enterprises, his loss, 
while a calamity to the United States, is greatest to the 
people of the city of his home. His services as chairman 
of the Johnstown Relief Committee and as member of the 
World's Fair Committee and other public bodies showed 
his value in civic life no less than in war. 

" Out of respect to his memory and as a token of the love 
and esteem in which he is held by all the citizens of this 
metropolis, as well as of the country, I recommend that 
514 



MEMORIAL RESOLUTIONS. 515 

the public offices be closed on Thursday next — the day of 
his obsequies — that all citizens be requested to close their 
places of business from i to 5 o'clock on the afternoon of 
that day, and that the flags be displayed at half-mast on 
public and private buildings until Saturday next, and that 
your honorable body take such further action as you may 
deem proper. 

" Hugh J. Grant, Mayor.'' 

Appropriate resolutions were adopted by the Board of 
Aldermen, and the city offices were closed on the day 
of the funeral. 

The Consolidated Stock Exchange voted this memo- 
randum : — 

" The death of General William Tecumseh Sherman has 
taken from us a man dearly beloved by all citizens ; one 
whose strong patriotism, unswei^ing loyalty and eminent 
services to his country have given him a high place in the 
roll of illustrious Americans. 

" As a soldier his record is among the highest in the 
world, and will live always in the history of his country. 
As a citizen he was a type worthy of emulation. Duty 
and patriotism were the watchwords of his life. Without 
unworthy personal ambitions or desires he was always 
self-sacrificing, and his blameless character, his genial and 
kindly disposition have made him dearly beloved by his 
countless friends throughout the country. 

"By his death the nation has lost a true and loyal son, 
one of the most honored and beloved citizens. The mem- 
bers of this Exchange desire to testify to the sorrow which 
they, in common with their fellow-countrymen, feel at the 
loss which the nation has sustained by this bereavement, 
and to add their tribute to his memory. 

"They tender to the family their most heartfelt and 



5i6 THE UNION LEAGUE'S TRIBUTE. 

sincere sympathy in the grievous affliction which they have 
been called upon to bear." 

A special memorial meeting of the Union League Club 
was held, at which the following resolutions, read by Mr. 
Joseph H. Choate, were adopted : 

" The members of the Union League Club, of which Gen- 
eral Sherman has been an honorary member for more than a 
quarter of a century, desire to put on record an expression 
of their heartfelt sorrow for his death, of their tender sym- 
pathy for his bereaved children, and of their profound ap- 
preciation of his matchless services to his country. A 
great soldier whose brilliant and uniform triumphs in the 
field attested his military genius, second only to that of his 
mighty chief to whom his life to his last hour was a con- 
tinual homage, he shared with Grant and Sheridan the 
highest honors and the im)st terrible responsibilities of the 
great struggle for liberty and union. Having by their 
swords made these inseparable forever, their names will go 
down to the most distant posterity as identified with the 
flag which they saved and glorified. 

" No test can measure the frightful strain which came 
upon those who bore for us the chief burden of the war 
which involved the existence of the Nation itself; but to- 
day the fresh graves of Sherman and Porter, the last 
survivors of that glorious group, reveal its fatal force and 
result. 

" Besides being a historic soldier and an ideal hero, it was 
General Sherman's happy fortune in the twenty-five years 
that have elapsed since the close of the war in which he bore 
so distinguished a part, to com.e very near to the people 
of the land and to become every year dearer and dearer 
to them by the merits and charms of his personal character, 
so that it may truly be said that the death of no man in 



THE UNION LEAGUE'S TRIBUTE. 517 

America to-day could have left a void in the people's heart 
so deep and wide as his has done. 

" Retaining to the last that rugged health and buoyant 
temperament with which nature had blessed him, he retained 
also a keen and ever-living interest in the affairs of the 
country which he had been so potent to save. And be- 
lieving that he and all that he was or had been or could be 
belonged to the people, he moved freely among them and 
displayed a never-failing sympathy in all that affected their 
fortunes and welfare. He was everywhere known and 
recognized, not merely as the embodiment of victory, but 
also as the exponent of that unconditional loyalty to country 
which he taught and lived wherever he went. 

"This fierce and uncompromising spirit of nationality 
was the most striking feature of his character. It was this 
that bound him to the Nation's service. It was this that 
carried him from victory to victory. It is this that he has 
left as an imperishable legacy to his loving countrymen. 

" In every thought and feeling General Sherman was 
intensely American. He believed in the abiding greatness 
and glory of his country, in the form of government under 
which we live and in the capacity of the people to maintain 
and preserve it, and he had no sympathy with or toleration 
for those who affect to discover in every misadventure in 
politics or blunder of government a symptom of National 
decline. In «very sense of the word he was a noble citizen 
and a splendid example for all men to follow and imitate in 
his public spirit, his reverence for law, his lofty standard of 
civic duty and his zeal for the honor and good name of his 
country. 

"We cannot part with him without expressing our grati- 
tude for his genial companionship which we were for so 
many years permitted to enjoy within these walls, where 



5 1 8 GENERA L FOR TER 'S EULOGY. 

was his frequent and favorite resort. We recall with 
delight the personal reminiscences in which he here so 
freely indulged, historical always because they were his 
own, his blunt and outspoken honesty which always induced 
him to speak as he thought, and at the same time that 
hearty social spirit in which he welcomed us all as friends 
and responded to every expression of good-will. 

"Peace to his ashes! Honor to his memory! In the 
day of her peril, if any such day shall ever again come to 
her, may his country find another like him, to defend, 
redeem and exalt her ! 

"Resolved, That a copy of this minute be sent to the 
family of General Sherman, and that a committee be ap- 
pointed to represent this^club at his funeral." 

General Horace Porter seconded the resolutions in an 
eloquent and touching speech. He said : 

" Mr. Chairman : I am very glad to lift my voice in favor 
of these resolutions in honor of the memory of the illustri- 
ous dead, the last of our prominent military chieftains. 
Nearly every great war has given birth to but one great 
general. . No other country but our own has produced 
three such eminent commanders as Grant, Sherman and 
Sheridan. The second in years was called from us first ; 
the next followed next; while the senior in age has been 
spared to us until the last. The badges of mourning which 
were laid aside after the last sad funeral rites of his illustri- 
ous predecessors are again brought forth to serve as 
emblems of our sorrow in our recent loss, and the Nation 
again finds herself standing within the shadow of a profound 
grief 

" While General Sherman was a man of great versatility 
of talent, and had filled many important positions in the 
various walks of life, his great reputation will always be 



GENERAL PORTER'S EULOGY. 



519 



founded upon his merits as a soldier. With him the chief 
characteristics of a soldier seemed inborn. There was 
somcthin'T in his very look, in the gait v/ith which he 
mo\'cd, that of tliemselves revealed him as a typical soldier. 
As we looked upon his well-knit brow, his deep, penetrat- 
ing, restless hazel eye, his aquiline nose, we could see 
easily that there was something in these outward appear- 
ances that betokened a great man. In war he was prompt 
in decision and unshrinking under the great responsfcilities. 
Prompt in action, firm in purpose and untiring in effort, he 
had an intrinsic knowledge of topography, and there was 
found in his person much of the patience of a Fabius, with 
the restlessness of a Hotspur. He excited confidence in 
his troops, which made them follow him to victory with 
all the dash of Caesar's Tenth Legion. The students of 
military history at home and abroad have studied his cam- 
paigns as their models and placed his works on a level with 
the. grandest w^orks of the masters of military science. 

" The first time I met Sherman was wlien, as a staff offi- 
cer, I conveyed to him from Grant a message. As soon 
as he had read Grant's letter and I heard what he had to 
say, I was lost in amazement at the grasp and the com- 
prehensiveness of that great mind. He gave me a letter 
to take back to Grant, of- which this was a part : ' I admire 
your tact, perseverance and courage more than ever. I 
think if you can whip Lee and I can march to Atlanta, old 
Uncle Abe will give us both twenty days' leave of absence 
to go home and see the young folks.* 

" General Sherman to-morrow will begin his last m.arch 
on earth, this flme homeward from the sea." 

General Charles H. T. Collis, followed in a brief speech, 
in which he recalled many interesting reminiscences, touch- 
ing the life of the dead soldier, and pictured him, as was the 



520 



MR. DEPEW'S ADDRESS. 



custom of General Sherman at all meetings of the club, com- 
ing in modestly while the president would invariably beckon 
him to a seat on the platform. 

Chauncey M, Depew then said : 

" I had the pleasure and honor of being present at each 
of those famous birthday dinners that General Sherman 
gave at his house. Every one of them was an historic 
event and the guests historic personalities, outside of Mr. 
Choate and myself, who were always the only civilian 
guests. 

" In connection with the great Rebellion, \\\ which Gen- 
eral Sherman played so conspicuous a part, it may be said 
that wars of not one-half the magnitude or disastrous re- 
sults have left their marks.for centuries upon the histories 
of nations ; while, although only a quarter of a century has 
elapsed since the closeof the Rebellion, none of its sorrows 
and few of its passions survive. The men who fought in 
that rebellion, though not yet old men in the sense of 
decrepitude or extreme age, are historical characters; and 
if the bitterness and the bickerings of that struggle are 
largely forgotten, it is because in its successful termina- 
tion was accomplished the resurrection of the American 
Republic. 

" The best causes hav^e been lost where they have been 
badly led. It is difficult in civil life, in statesmanship, to 
point out the statesman to whom we can ascribe the origin 
of a principle or a policy, because principles and policies 
are largely the evolution of time and the creation of many 
minds and necessities grasped by many actors. But the 
game of war is a game which is played by its masters, and 
the greatest master wins the game. 

" But }'ou may say the world will continue to go on in 
the same groove no matter who dies, So it will. Still, 



THE REPUBLICAN COUNTY COMMITTEE. 52I 

there are men who will live a thousand years hence, when 
no man of this century is remembered, save Lincoln, who 
will hear of General Grant and General Sherman. 

" Sherman had the quality which belonged to none of 
our extremely great men of civil or military life — that 
subtle, indefinable something which is called genius. 
Lincoln came very near having it, but he didn't have it 
entirely. Grant was the incarnation of war, but he was not 
touched by the divine fire of genius. Assuredly Washing- 
ton didn't have it, though Hamilton may possibly have 
possessed it. But with Sherman it made him the most 
original figure in the field, on the platform, in society. In 
him was a touch of something which separated him from 
his kind, and singled him out as a distinct individuality the 
moment he spoke. In Europe, where they only judge 
Americans by those who travel to that continent from time 
to time from this country, even the most prejudiced among 
them I have heard say more than once : ' The most inter- 
esting American, and I may say the most interesting man 
I ever met, was your General Sherman.'" 

The Republican County Committee of New York ex- 
pressed its appreciation of the great commander in these 
terms : 

" Whereas, General William T. Sherman, in the fulness 
'of years and the ripeness of fame, has been removed from 
our midst by the decree of Providence ; and 

" Whereas, General William T. Sherman by his military 
genius, sacrifices and achievements in behalf of the Union, 
endeared himself to the grateful people of the United States 
as one of its greatest generals and patriots; while his deeds 
of courage, valor and strategy placed him in the foremost 
rank of military commanders of the world ; his sterling 
qualities of honesty, integrity/ and justice v/ere recognised 



522 WORDS OF THE G. A. R. 

by all; Avhile his affable nature, kind courtesy and philan- 
thropic disposition won for him the admiration, esteem and 
friendship of the country which he served, and the citizens 
of the city in which he dwelt; 

"Resolved, That in the death of General William T. 
Sherman the people of the United States suffer an irre- 
parable loss ; the country loses a patriot, a brave, self- 
sacrificing soldier, and a wise and sagacious leader; his^ 
acquaintances, a generous and sympathetic friend, and his 
family a devoted and indulgent father. 

"Resolved, That the Republican County Committee of 
the city of Nev/ York, speaking for and on behalf of the 
Republican party represented by it, recognizing as above 
the great service of General Sherman for the maintenance 
and preservation of the Union, and his estimable qualities, 
deeply mourns his death, and offers its sincere condolence 
to the people of the United States and the afflicted family 
of the deceased. 

" Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be sent by 
the officers of this committee to the family of the de- 
ceased." 

The Memorial Committee of the Grand Army of the 
Republic, in New York City, added this tribute : — 

"Resolved, That the Memorial Committee of the Grand 
Army of the Republic of the city of New York, sharing the 
grief of the American people at the National bereavement, 
offers its sympathy to the children of General William T. 
Sherman, and trusts that they may find consolation for the 
loss of their illustrious father in the thought that the world 
is better for his having lived in it. His fame has filled the 
earth, his achievements having placed him in the front of 
strategists, and his services in the war for the Union were 



WORDS OF THE G. A. R, 



525 



second only to those of the matchless Grant. His name 
was a tower of strength to our cause in the supreme crisis 
of our Nation's life. His soldiers trusted him, loved him, 
and cheerfully followed him. He was above the tempta- 
tions of money, or the seductions of political ambition. He 
was kindly in his manners, cordial, open and generous. A 
commander in the field he was in peace a comrade. He 
was a type of the true American ; undazzled by the glitter 
of aristocracy, and proud of the undecorated honor of 
American citizenship. He was a comrade of the Grand 
Army of the Republic, often the welcome guest of the posts 
of this city, and he carried into his daily life the principles 
of our order — fraternity, charity and loyalty. Though he 
filled the full measure of man's span of earthly existence, 
his life was more full of honors than of years. His death 
was happy in this, that he passed away with his eye not 
dimmed, nor his natural force abated, and that he left no 
duty undone. His fame is safe with posterity. His mem- 
ory is precious to us who knew him and were known to 
him. When the last sad offices have been performed he 
will not disappear from our thoughts, but dwell in them 
cherished in recollections of his relations, at once paternal 
and fraternal, with the Grand Army of the Republic of this 
city." 

And in a General Order the Commander of the Grand 
Army, Department of New York, General Floyd Clarkson, 
addressed his comrades thus : — 

"The Commander of the Department has the sad duty to 
announce to the comrades of this Department that on Sat- 
urday, the 14th inst., at 1.50 p.m., the best beloved and 
noblest, grandest comrade of the Order, General William T. 
Sherman, heard, while in his home in this city, surrounded 



526 WORDS OF THE G. A. R. 

by his children, kindred and friends; the trumpet call 
' Lights out,' and passed hence to the fruitions and glories 
of the encampment across the river, 

" It is not necessary to recount his services and achieve- 
ments. They are closely interwoven with the history of 
our land for the past fifty years ; and as that is recited the 
name of our illustrious comrade constantly appears as one 
of the most active workers in that marvellous narrative ; 
but it was in the great convulsions that were upon our 
nation in the years '6i to '65 that the magnificent abilities 
and worth of him whom we this day deplore shone out in 
their tenderness and brilliancy. 

" He is the last of the great triumvirate who marshalled 
the forces of the Nation, and so directed that mighty power 
that before 'Old Glory' treason, beaten and disheartened, 
yielded the contest and accepted for all time the fact as 
established that this was and is a Nation 'of the people, by 
the people and for the peopled* 

" As a comrade of the Grand Army of the Republic, no one 
emphasized more than he did ' that the distinctions of rank 
necessary for active service were here laid aside,' and no 
one more heartily grasped the hand and welcomed to his 
presence and heart the man who carried the musket, or 
swung the sabre, or pulled the lanyard, or manned the 
yards, than did our well-beloved comrade, William T. 
Sherman ; and no one could accept more pleasantly and 
with deeper satisfaction the welling-up of the long-cherished 
heart affection of the Boys in Blue. " 

The memorial meeting of the New York Chamber of 
Commerce was one of the largest ever held by that dis- 
tinguished body. Resolutions expressing sorrow at the 
General's death were presented by J. Edward Simmons. 
They were as follows ; 



THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. $2/ 

"Whereas, The members of the Chamber of Commerce 
but a short time since were called to assemble in the 
presence of a severe national bereavement to pay their 
tribute of respect to the character and noble labors of a 
distinguished civilian and statesman, having under his care 
the fiduciary interests of the Republic: and 

" Whereas, To-day, by the dispensation of an all-wise 
Providence, we meet to pay our tribute of affectionate 
regard to the memory of a great soldier, whose splendid 
services in the long struggle for the preservation of the 
Union were as brilliant as they were sucessful, and whose 
achievements illustrated the greatness of a soldier who in 
conquest knew no hate, and in whose magnanimity there 
was no revenge ; therefore 

" Resolved, That the Chamber of Commerce of the State 
of New York hereby places on record its unanimous senti- 
ment of profound sorrow because of the irreparable loss 
the Nation has sustained in the death of our distinguished 
soldier-citizen. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman. 

''Resolved, That by the death of Gen. Sherman, the world 
has lost one of its greatest military heroes. Pure in heart, 
of spotless integrity, cool and undismayed in danger, he 
not only won honor and renown from the soldiers of his 
command, but he invariably inspired them with friendship, 
affection, and confidence. He was the soldier of justice, 
right and truth, and he has passed from our midst as a 
brilliant star pales and vanishes from the morning sky. 

''Resolved, That the results achieved by the late war 
were largely due to the consummate skill, adroit strategy, 
and matchless generalship of William Tecumseh Sherman, 
and that the people of this Republic are indebted to him 
for his eminent services in securing to them the inestimable 
blessings of a united and prosperous country. 



528 CARL SCHURZ'S EULOGY. 

" Resolved, That as a public-spirited citizen he has proved 
himself to be a capable man of affairs, with a deep interest 
in many of our local institutions. As an honorary member 
he has presided over the deliberations of this Chamber, and 
his genial presence was seldom missed at our annual ban- 
quets. Socially, he was the peer of those with whom com- 
panionship had a charm, and illustrated in his intercourse 
all the qualities of a nobleman in the amenities of life. His 
home was a haven of repose, and love and gentleness were 
the angels that ministered at his fireside. 

"Resolved, That the Chamber of Commerce hereby 
tenders to the family of Gen. Sherman the expression of 
sincere sympathy in the hour of their bereavement." 

On this memorial the Hon. Carl Schurz spoke, saying, 
in part: 

" The adoption by the Chamber of Commerce of these 
resolutions is no mere perfunctory proceeding. We have 
been called here by a genuine impulse of the heart. To us 
Gen. Sherman was not a great man like other great men, 
honored and revered at a distance. We had the proud 
and happy privilege of calling him one of us. Only a few 
months ago, at the annual meeting of this Chamber, we 
saw the face of our honorary member on this platform by 
the side of our President. Only a few weeks ago he sat .at 
our banquet table, as he had often before, in the happiest 
mood of conviviality, and contributed to the enjoyment of 
the night with his always unassuming and always charm- 
ing speech. 

"And as he moved among us without the slightest pomp 
of self-conscious historic dignity, only v/ith the warm and 
simple geniality of his nature, it would cost us sometimes 
an effort of the memory to recollect that he was the famous 
Captain who had marshalled mighty armies victoriously on 



CARL SCHURZ'S EULOGY. 529 

many a battlefield, and whose name stood, and will forever 
stand, in the very foremost rank of the saviors of this 
Republic and of the great soldiers of the world's history. 
Indeed, no American could have forgotten this for a 
moment ; but the affections of those who were so happy as 
to come near to him would sometimes struggle to outrun 
their veneration and gratitude. 

" Death has at last conquered the hero of so many cam- 
paigns ; our cities and towns and villages are decked with 
flags at half-mast ; the muffled drum and the funereal boom 
of cannon will resound over the land as his dead body 
passes to the final resting place, and the American people 
stand mournfully gazing into the void left by the sudden 
disappearance of the last of the greatest men brought forth 
by our war of regeneration — and this last also finally 
become, save Abraham Lincoln alone, the most widely 
beloved. 

" He is gone ; but as we of the present generation re- 
member it, history will tell all coming centuries the 
romantic story of the great ' March to the Sea ' — how, in 
the dark days of 1864, Sherman, having worked his bloody 
way to Atlanta, then cast off all his lines of supply and com- 
munication, and, like a bold diver into the dark unknown, 
seemed to vanish, with all his hosts, from the eyes of the 
world, until his triumphant reappearance on the shores of 
the ocean proclaimed to the anxiously expecting millions, 
that now the final victory was no longer doubtful, and that 
the Republic would surely be saved, 

" Nor will history fail to record that this great General 
was, as a victorious soldier, a model of republican citizen- 
ship. When he had done his illustrious deeds he rose step 
by step to the highest rank in the army, and then, grown 
old, he retired. The Republic made provision for him in 



530 CARL SCHURZ'S EULOGY. 

modest republican style. He was satisfied. He asked for 
no higher reward. Although the splendor of his achieve- 
ments and the personal affection for him which every one 
of his soldiers carried home, made him the most popular 
American of his day, and although the most glittering 
prizes were not seldom held up before his eyes, he remained 
untroubled by ulterior ambition. No thought that the 
Republic owed him more ever darkened his mind. No 
man could have spoken to him of the ' ingratitude of Re- 
publics * without meeting from him a stern rebuke. And 
so, content with the consciousness of a great duty nobly 
done, he was happy in the love of his fellow-citizens. 

" Indeed, he may truly be said to have been in his old 
age, not only the most beloved, but the happiest of Ameri- 
cans. Many years he lived in the midst of posterity. His 
task was finished, and this he wisely understood. His 
deeds had been passed upon by the judgment of history, 
and irrevocably registered among the glories of his country 
and his age. His generous heart envied no one, and 
wished every one well ; and ill will had long ceased to pur- 
sue him. Beyond cavil his fame was secure, and he enjoyed 
it as that which he had honestly earned, with a genuine and 
ever fresh delight, openly avowed by the charming frank- 
ness of his nature. 

" He dearly loved to be esteemed and cherished by his 
fellow-men, and what he valued most, his waning years 
brought him in ever-increasing abundance. Thus he was 
in truth a most happy man, and his days went down like an 
evening sun in a cloudless Autumn sky. And when now 
the American people, with that tenderness of affection which 
they have long borne him, lay him in his grave, the happy 
ending of his great life may, in their hearts, soothe the 
pang of bereavement they feel at the loss of the old hero 



GENERAL PORTER'S ADbRESS. 531 

who was so dear to them, and of whom they were and 
always will be so proud. His memory will ever be bright 
to us all, his truest monument will be the greatness of this 
Republic he served so well, and his fame will never cease 
to be prized by a grateful country as one of its most precious 
possessions." 

General Horace Porter also seconded the resolutions. 
He paid a warm tribute to General Sherman's memory, and 
continued: "By no act of ours can we expect to add one 
laurel to his brow. The Nation raised him to the highest 
rank in the army, universities vied with one another in con- 
ferring upon him degrees. We can only come together to 
express our esteem for the soldier, our respect for the man. 
There was something characteristic of the soldier born 
within him. In war he was bold in conception, fixed in 
purpose, untiring in action. He knew that great danger 
makes brave hearts most resolute. He enjoyed a personal 
reputation free from stain. It is no wonder that the world 
has placed him in the ranks of its great captains. 

" There is one characteristic which I am sure all have 
noticed. He never failed at all times and in all circum- 
stances to breathe the loftiest patriotism. And now the 
flag he has so often upheld has dropped to half-mast, the 
booming of his guns has given way to the tolling of ca- 
thedral bells. He has left behind him the glory of a good 
name, the inheritance of a great example." 

The memorial resolutions of the Ohio Society, of New 
York, were as follows : 

" The Ohio Society of New York recognizes in the death 
of General Sherman not only a public calamity, which, in 
common with the people of this great country, we deplore, 
but a personal loss, which no words can express and no 
sentiment measure. 



532 THE OHIO SOCIETY, 

" Not only was he our ideal soldier and citizen, but a com- 
plete representative Ohioan. 

" True to his native State, as he was to his country and 
his duty, he has ever been the pride of this society and the 
comfort and delight of its members. 

" Wholly removed as he was by nature from arrogance 
and self-glorification, he has ever been our friend, our 
kindly neighbor, our sweet companion, our most honored 
member. 

" The lustre of his life sheds glory upon his State, 
and the mention of his name will forever cause in our 
hearts a thrill of patriotic emotion and fraternal love. 

" The Ohio Society of New York feels it to be its duty, 
as it is its privilege, to make a record oi these thoughts, 
and to join with the citizens of this great country, which he 
did so much to save, in rendering honor to the great cap- 
tain, the brave soldier, the loyal citizen and the true man, 
who now rests from his labors. 

''Resolved, That the Ohio Society of New York extend 
to the immediate friends and family of our deceased mem- 
ber the sympathy and condolence of loyal and honest 
hearts, and that a copy of these expressions be sent to the 
family." 

Here are a few of the telegraphic messages of sympathy 
that came pouring in upon the afflicted family in a grateful 
shower : 

FROM MAYOR GRANT. 

Battery Park Hotel, Asheville, N. C, 

Feb. 14, 1891. 
To Tecumseh Sherman: — 

I am just informed by telegraph of the death ot your 
distinguished father, from the press despatches of the morn- 
ing. I was led to indulge the hope that I would, on my return 



MESSAGES OF SyMPATHY. 533 

from this trip in search of health, again greet my old friend 
and neighbor. No formal announcement of my condolence 
could convey to yourself and family the sense of loss I feel 
at this moment. There has not been a single occasion 
since he came to live in our city when his advice and 
broad public spirit in all that concerns our welfare have not 
been an aid to me, I join with millions of his fellow coun- 
trymen in recognition of a nation's loss. I am awaiting 
information from my Secretary as to the arrangements for 
the funeral, which I hope to attend. 

Hugh J. Grant. 

FROM CHIEF JUSTICE FULLER. 

Chicago, Feb. 14th. 
To Miss Rachel- Shermaji : — 
Our sincere sympathies with you all. 

"Melville W. Fuller. 

FROM HENRY M. STANLEY. 

Chicago, Feb. 14th. 
To Miss Sher7iiaii : — 

Deep and heartfelt sympathy for the irreparable loss 
both to you and to America. H. M. Stanley. 

JUDGE GRESHAM'S TRIBUTE. 

Chicago, Feb. 14th, 1891. 
To Mr. P. T. Sherman : — 

I am shocked and distressed. When I saw your father 
three weeks ago he was cheerful and well. During and 
since the war he was my faithful friend. His sorrowing 
children have my profound sympathy. 

W. Q. Gresham. 



534 MESSAGES OF SYMPATHY. 

FROM GENERAL JOE JOHNSTON. 

Washington, Feb. 14th, 1891. 
To the Misses Sherman : — 

Intelligence of General Sherman's death grieves me 
much. I sympathize deeply Avith you in your great be- 
reavement. T, E. Johnston. 

FROM SECRETARY RUSK. 

Washington, Feb. 14th, 1891. 
To Hon. John Sherman : — 

Permit me to express to you and through you to the 
family ol" General Sherman my deep sorrow at the loss of 
my old commander, comrade and friend. No words will 
express my grief at this irreparable loss. I can only join 
with his family and his country in mourning one of our 
nation's greatest leaders and strongest defenders in war 
and in peace. J. M. Rusk. 

FROM SECRETARY BLAINE. 

Washington, Feb. 14th, 1891. 
To Hon. John Sherman : — 

Convey to your brother's bereaved family our tenderest 
sympathy. A very great man has gone. 

James G. Blaine, 

FROM SECRETARY NOBLE, 

Washington, Feb. 14th, 1891. 
To Hon. John Sherman : — 

The heartfelt sympathy of myself and Mrs. Noble goes 
forth to the family of dear General Sherman and to you. 
Our countrymen mourn one of our and the world's greatest 
heroes, but yours is the deeper grief for the loss of the 
father, brother, friend. Heaven bless you all. 

John W, Noble. 



MESSAGES OF SYMPATHY. 535 

FROM EX-SECRETARY ENDICOTT. 

Salem, Feb. 14th, 1891. 
To Miss Sherman : — 

I am distressed by the sad news. Accept my heartfelt 

sympathy. Mrs. Endicott and I mourn with you and for 

you. We, too, have lost a dear friend. 

W. C. Endicott. 

FROM LAWRENCE BARRETT. 

Hotel Metropole, New York, Feb. 14th, 1891. 
To Mr. and the Misses Sherman : — 

Let me express to you my profound sympathy in your 
great sorrow, which is shared by one who recalls in a 
quarter of a century of friendship such continued acts of 
kindness as cannot be forgotten. I suffer with so many 
others a deep personal loss in General Sherman's death. 

Lawrence Barrett. 

FROM THE MINISTER TO FRANCE. 

Paris, Feb. 15th, 1891, 
Rachel Sherman, Columbus Avenue : — 

We both share your sorrow in your and Nation's loss. 

Whitelaw Reid. 

FROM VICE-PRESIDENT MORTON. 

Washington, Feb. 14th, 1891 
To Miss Rachel Shermati : — 

The nation mourns and sympathizes with you all in your 
great sorrow. Your illustrious father's death is, to Mrs. 
Morton, our children and myself, the loss of a personal 
friend to whom we were devotedly attached. 

Levi P. Morton. 



536 MESSAGES OF SYMPATHY. 

FROM JUSTICE HARLAN. 

Washington, Feb. 14th, 1891. 
To the Misses Sherman : — 

The death of my old commander causes deep sorrow to 
myself and household. Our sympathies are with his family 
in their great affliction. John M. Harlan. 

FROM GENERAL RUSSELL A. ALGER. 

Detroit, Feb. 14th, 1891. 
71? the Misses Sherman : — 

Our already overburdened hearts throb with the great 
sorrow that overwhelms and darkens your home. " Lights 
out" on earth is "reveille" to the dear' General in heaven, 
where so many of his old command await him. 

R. A. Alger. 



FROM SECRETARY TRACY. 

Washington, Feb. 14th, 1891. 
To P. T. Shennajt : — 

In this hour of affliction you have my deepest sympathy. 
The memory of General Sherman will be forever cherished 
by the American people as one of their most valued 
possessions. , B. F. Tracy. 

FROM RUTHERFORD B. HAYES. 

Cleveland, Feb, 14th, 1891. 
To the Hon. John Sherman : — 

I mourn with the family and kindred of General Sherman. 
He was beloved by me and by my family with the warmest 
personal affection. I expect to reach the Fifth Avenue 
Monday. Rutherford B. Hayes. 



MESSAGES OF SYMPATHY. 537 

FROM GENERAL SHERMAN'S BIRTHPLACE. 

Lancaster, Ohio, Feb. 14th, 1891. 
To P. T. Sherman : — 

Lancaster, the birthplace and home of your illustrious 
father, is enshrouded in gloom over the sad intelligence of 
his death. Public action is being taken by the citizens, and 
the expression of sorrow is universal. The town is draped 
in mourning, and a memorial meeting will be held. All 
business will be suspended, and every mark of love and 
respect will be shown the greatest soldier of the war who 
first saw the light of day in the village that now greatly 
reveres his memory. 

W, J. S. Braze. John C. Tuthill. 

C. D, Martin. H. C. Dimkle. 

J. D. Martin. W. A. Schultz. 

FROM GENERAL SCHOFIELD. 

Washington, Feb. 14th, 1891. 
To Hon. John Sherman : — 

Please accept for yourself and all the members of your 
family sympathy in the bereavement you suffer in the loss 
of the General Commander, who was my dearest friend. 

J. M. SCHOFIELD. 
FROM CONGRESSMAN HENDERSON. 

Washington, Feb. 14th, 1891. 
To Hon. John Sherman : — 

With the most profound sorrow I have heard of the 
death of your illustrious brother and my old commander. 
I loved and honored him for his noble character and great 
service, and tender to you and his bereaved family my heart- 
felt sympathy. Thomas J. Henderson. 



538 MESSAGES OF SYMPATHY. 

FROM FRANK THOMPSON, 

Washington, Feb. 14th, 1891. 
To P. T. Sherman : — 

If we can be of any service to you please command us. 
We would esteem it an honor to do anything in our power 
to facilitate the journey to St. Louis. You have our sin- 
cerest sympathy. Frank Thompson, 

Vice President Pennsylvania Railroad. 

FROM CONGRESSMAN ROOTS. 

Little Rock, Feb. 14th, 1891. 
To the Misses Sherman : — 

Full of years and honor, rich in love of patriotic country- 
men, his passing beyond simply promotion. I extend you 
sympathy. Logan H. Roots. 

FROM ARCHBISHOP KENRICK. 

St. Louis, Feb. 14th, 1891. 
To Mr. P. T. Sherman : — 
Accept my heartfelt sympathy with yourself and sisters. 

Peter Richard Kenrick, 

Archbishop of Si. Louis. 



CHAPTER XXXII. 

TRAITS AND INCIDENTS. 

His Positive Refusal to be a Presidential Candidate — Remembering 
A California Drummer — Dealing with a Newspaper at Memphis — 
Suppressing Praise of Himself at Savannah — Confiscating Medicine 
— The Electoral Commission — His Love of Music — Excuses for 
Swearing — A Tribute to his Mother — An Incidei^ at Yale — Ex- 
pressions OF Kind Feeling toward the South and toward his Foes. 

The lives of few men have contained more picturesque 
incidents than did Sherman's. His nervous, impulsive 
nature and frank, open manner made him the hero of many- 
episodes which are the delight of story-tellers. His con- 
versation, also, bristled with epigrammatic sayings well 
worth repeating and preserving. His death called forth a 
perfect flood of reminiscences. Every one who had ever 
known him had something to relate regarding him ; some 
humorous or dramatic incident, some kind deed, some 
quaint or wise remark. Many of these are doubtless 
apocryphal ; and of those that are true even the compass of 
a biography will give space for but few. But no biography 
of Sherman would be complete without some of them, in 
which the nature of the man so clearly stands revealed. 

Reference has already been made to Sherman's dislike 
of politics. He was often spoken of as a candidate for the 
Presidency, but never with his own approval or consent. 
As early as February, 1876, he wrote to a friend as follows : 

539 



540 ALOOF FROM POLITICS. 

" I never have been, and am not now, and never shall be, 
a candidate for the high office of President before any con- 
vention of the people. I shall always prefer to see that 
office filled by one of the millions who in the Civil War 
stood by the Union firm and unequivocally; and of these I 
notice many names willing and capable. Prominent among 
them is that of General Hayes, now Governor of Ohio, 
whom we know as a fine officer and a gentleman in every 
sense. I do not, however, wish to be understood as pre- 
suming to advise anybody in the choice of the man. My 
wife and family are strong Catholics, but I am not ; that, 
however, is nobody's business. I believe in the common 
schools, and don't stop over the little matters which seem 
to be exaggerated by the press. In some quarters, how- 
ever, these schools are extravagant and indulge in costly 
buildings and expensive teachers, so as to be too heavy a 
burden to the taxpayers. This tendency ought to be 
checked, which may easily be done without making it a 
political question. Self-interest will regulate this and make 
them free schools to all and capable of imparting the 
rudiments of a good English education." 

Being asked, after the publication of this letter, — which 
by the way, he did not expect, — whether he really meant 
it, he said he did. 

"Suppose you were nominated?" 

" I would decline." 

"Suppose the nomination were unanimous and enthusi- 
astic ? " 

" I would decline anyway. I cannot think of any cir- 
cumstances that would induce me to accept the nomination. 
There are so many men in the country better fitted for the 
place than I am. I have no civil experience, as every 
President should have. The country wants a change in this 



REMEMBERING A DRUMMER. 543 

respect. Militaiy men know no way of settling troubles 
except to fight, and our country is now so peaceful that a 
different policy is needed. We want a civic President, and 
not a military one." 

And years after that he again declared that he was not a 
candidate for the Presidency ; that if nominated he would 
decline, and if elected he would refuse to serve. 

An incident which occurred in Philadelphia some three 
years before his death illustrates Sherman's remarkable 
powers of memory. 

He was visiting his daughter, and while sitting at the 
open window smoking one midsummer night he saw the 
policeman pass, and as the patrolman halted a moment the 
General was noticed to give him a keen glance and utter 
an exclamation. The next evening he told some one to 
say to the policeman on the beat, when he passed, that the 
General wanted to speak to him. When the officer entered 
he straightened up and gave General Sherman the regular 
military salute. 

"Ah, ha," said the General. " I thought so. Now, 
where was it I saw you before ? Do you know me ? " 

" Oh, yes," said the bearded patrolman. " I knew you 
when you were a lieutenant. I was your drummer in Cali- 
fornia." 

" Ha, ha, I thought so ; and wait a bit. So you were 
that Httle drummer boy, and your name — your name's 
Hutchinson." 

Another authentic story reveals the kindly humor of the 
man,- even amid the stern scenes of war. It is told by Mr. 
H. L. Priddy, who, with a Mr. Brower, conducted TJu 
Argus newspaper at Memphis when Sherman was com- 
mander there. "The Argus" s^ys Mr. Priddy, "was the 
only paper published at Memphis then. Brower and I had 



544 SUPPRESSING A NEWSPAPER. 

to simulate a degree of loyalty, but whenever we got a 
chance we cheered the Stars and Bars. General Sherman 
gave us considerable latitude, but finally we went too far, 
and he called us down. He did it in a gentlemanly way, 
however, that didn't wound our feelings. He galloped up 
to the office one day about noon, threw the bridle rein of 
his big black stallion to an orderly and strode into the edi- 
torial room. A crowd of citizens gathered on the other side 
of the street mourned for the fate of the newspaper and the 
editors. I think they had an idea that Sherman was going 
to amputate our heads and 'pi' all the forms. But he didn't. 
He sat down and rested his feet on the table and said : 

" ' Boys ' (we were both youngsters), " I have been ordered 
to suppress your paper, but I don't like to do that, and I 
just dropped in to warn you not to be so free with your 
pencils. If you don't ease up you will get into trouble." 

" We promised to reform, and as the General seemed so 
pleasant and friendly, I asked him if he couldn't do some- 
thing to increase the circulation of currency. There was 
no small change, and we had to use the soda water checks 
of a confectioner named Lane. We dropped soda water 
checks in the contribution box at the church, paid for 
straight whiskey with them and received them for money. 
If Lane had closed his shop the checks would have been 
worthless. 

" General Sherman comprehended the situation, and quick 
as a flash said : ' You need a medium of exchange that has 
an intrinsic value. Cotton is king here. Make cotton your 
currency. It is worth ^i a pound. Make packages con- 
taining eight ounces represent 50 cents, four ounces 25 
cents, and so on. Cotton is the wealth of the South right 
now. Turn it to money.' 



AN ENTERPRISING JOURNALIST. 545 

" 'But the money drawers wouldn't hold such bulky cur- 
rency,' said I. 

'"Make 'em larger,' said the General, and with that he 
strode off 

" As he mounted his horse and galloped away he shook 
his whip at Brower and me and shouted : ' You boys had 
better be careful what you write, or I'll be down on you.' " 

At Savannah, just after he had captured it, Sherman had 
another controversy with a newspaper man, one " Tom " 
Miles, from Boston. The latter, on getting into Savannah 
with the army, went prospecting round the city, and pres- 
ently, according to the teller of the story, in The Boston 
Post, found himself in a vacated printing office. It pre- 
sented a golden opportunity. There were types and presses 
and all the paraphernalia essential to business, with a form 
on the press, which the printer had left in his flight, and 
Miles, taking out the editorial and other offensive matter, 
filled its columns with healthy Union sentiment, with the 
aid of one or two of the craft whom he had discovered in 
the army. His leader was a rich specimen of crowing over 
the victory, in which he extolled General Sherman as the 
greatest hero since Alexander, and his army the finest and 
best disciplined that the world ever saw. With this grand 
flourish of trumpets the first number was issued, and Miles 
lay back in his editorial chair, contemplating his work with 
the belief that he had achieved the next triumph to Sher- 
man's, and wondered what the conqueror would say when 
he saw the praises he had heaped upon him. The next 
morning as the General and his staff were about taking 
breakfast, a paper was handed to him, and he commenced 
to read the leader which was so lavish in his praise. 

"Look here!" said he, red and furious. "What the 



546 PRINTER AGAINST GENERAL. 

d 1 does this mean ? Who knows anything about this 



paper? " 

His orderly, who had known something about its prepa- 
ration, explained to him that it was the work of the literary 
gentleman who had followed the expedition. 

" Well," said the General, " go down to the office and tell 
him to discontinue his paper or I'll put him under guard. 
I won't have such cursed stuff printed about me when I 
can prevent it. Abuse is bad enough, but this is a deuced 
sight worse." 

Down Went the orderly, and the confusion of poor Miles 
was overwhelming when he got the squelcher from the 
General commanding. 

"Why, it was all praise," said he. 

" No matter for that. If it had been the other way it 
would have been treated just the same." 

So Miles moved a compromise — we hardly know what — 
and urged the official to express his regrets and beg the 
removal of the injunction, which was promised. The ap- 
peal was successful, and soon the officer came back to 
inform him that permission was granted him to run his 
paper, on condition that he should never mention the 
General's name again. This was agreed to, and the paper 
appeared. After a day or two an aide came down one 
morning with an order from General Sherman, for publica- 
tion. Miles glanced it over and handed it back, 

*'It can't go in, sir," he said. 

"Why not?" asked the astonished messenger, who w"as 
a stranger. 

" Because it has Sherman's name to it," was the reply. 

" That's the reason why it must go in," urged the aide. 

" And that's the reason why it shan't. He stopped my 
paper for praising him, and I promised him that his name 



CONFISCATING MEDICINE. 



547 



should never appear in my columns again, and hang me if 
it shall." 

Miles stood resolute, and the officer returned for orders, 
expecting the ordering out of a file of men and an arrest, 
but was astonished to see the General burst into the heartiest 
laugh and hear him confess that the printer had the best of 
it. The messenger was sent back with a conciliatory note, 
and there was no more trouble. 

Sherman himself once related an interesting story about 
a prominent citizen of Savannah who came to his head- 
quarters after he had captured that city. The gentleman 
was in great trepidation and informed the General that he 
had some valuable pictures in his house. The General 
said they were entirely safe. He said he also had a col- 
lection of family plate of great intrinsic value, and, on 
account of its associations, very precious to him and his 
family. The General told him he would put a guard about 
his house if necessary. Then, in a burst of frank confidence, 
produced by this generous response to his fears, he revealed 
to General Sherman that he had buried in his back yard a 
large quantity of priceless Madeira, of the oldest and rarest 
vintages, and estimated to be worth over $40,000 before 
the war. The General responded at once : " That is medi- 
cine, and confiscated to the hospital." What the hospital 
(lid not need he distributed among the troops. 

General Sherman was fully informed of the movements 
of Jefferson Davis, and in a position to put his hand upon 
and arrest him at almost any time after Davis left Rich- 
mond, He consulted Mr. Lincoln as to what he would 
better do, Saying to the President that he did not know but 
what he, the President, would be relieved by not having 
the President of the Southern Confederacy on his hands, 
and asking for instructions. President Lincoln's instruc- 



548 THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION. 

tions were given in this form : " Sherman, many years ago, 
up in IlHnois, I knew a temperance lecturer who had been 
an habitual drunkard. He met, on an anniversary occasion, 
a number of his old boon companions. They were urging 
him to celebrate it with them in the usual way, and he 
finally said: 'Boys, I must stick to my principles; but if 
you could get some whiskey into my water unbeknownst 
to me I might join you ! ' " 

The General after that made no effort to capture Jefferson 
Davis, and regretted that he did not reach the schooner in 
which he was intending an escape to Cuba. 

Abram S. Hewitt, in addressing the Chamber of Com- 
merce, New York, told of an experience of his with General 
Sherman, then in command of the army, at the time of 
the Electoral Commission's existence. There was a good 
deal of apprehension lest Congress might break up without 
settling the contest for the Presidency. " If Congress failed 
to do its duty, what will you do under the circumstances ? " 
Mr. Hewitt asked the General. 

" I have sworn to obey the Constitution of the United 
States, " ,was the answer, " and I will do my duty. The 
term of President Grant expires at noon on March 4. The 
people of the United States have elected a President and 
competent authority will decide who is elected. " 

"But if Senate and House fail to agree?" 

" Then, if I must, I shall obey the man selected by the 
Senate." 

" That reply, " said Mr. Hewitt. "I felt meant much for 
the peace of the country, although the General's choice 
was not my own. To him we owe not only much for the 
termination of the civil war, but for the preservation of 
peace. '^ 

On one occasion, when visiting his sister, Mrs. Ewing, 



PROUD OF HIS MOTHER. 



549 



Gen. Sherman met four or five Presbyterian clergymen, and 
his patience was ratlicr severely tried by their religious dis- 
cussions, and what seemed to him their intolerant and one- 
sided views. One of them challenged him to offer any 
excuse for swearing, meeting him with the clinching state- 
ment that there could be no redemption for blasphemers. 

"Were you," inquired the young soldier, "ever at sea in 
a heavy gale, with spars creaking and sails flapping, and 
the crew cowardly and incompetent? " 

" No." 

"Did you ever," he continued gravely, " try to drive a 
five-team ox-cart across the prairie ? 

"No." 

"Then," said Capt. Sherman, "you know nothing of 
temptations to blasphemy — you know nothing about ex- 
tenuating circumstances for blasphemers — you are not com- 
petent to judge! " 

Gen. Sherman was proud of tracing his powers of endur- 
ance to his mother, to whom he also frequently ascribed 
the heritage of other soldierly characteristics. 

" She married very young," said the General — " her 
husband, who was not very much older, being a lawyer 
with hope and ambition for his patrimony and all the world 
before him where to choose. He chose Ohio, leaving his 
young wife in Jersey City while he made a home for her in 
what was then a far country. 

" Soon as he had made a home for her she went to him. 
She rode on horseback, with her young baby in her arms, 
from Jersey City to Ohio, the journey occupying twenty- 
three days ! What would a New York bride say to such a 
journey as that? I'm afraid she'd want to wait until her 
husband had made money enough to have a railroad built 
for her." 



550 AN INCIDENT AT YALE. 

Israel Smith, of New Bedford, was Band-master of the 
Massachusetts 33d Regiment on the march from Atlanta 
to Savannah. In speaking of General Sherman Mr. Smith 
said : " He was very fond of music, and the 33d gave many 
a concert at his headquarters. One time when the regi- 
ment had gone into camp. General Sherman sent word to 
me to come to his headquarters and play for him. I sent 
word back that my men were mostly sick, not enough being 
left to give a decent concert. Whereupon Sherman sends 
back word. ' Bring over your band and play soft music to 
soothe my nerves.' " When the Army was drawn up around 
Savannah, the first concert in two weeks was given. When 
Smith was about to go away Sherman called him and said : 
" I want you to have your band in readiness to play next 
Thursday, in the square in Savannah. " Early on Thursday 
morning Mr. Smith received his orders to march to the 
square, and there, while the city was being evacuated, he 
played the National airs. 

Sherman went to Yale College in 1876, to see his son 
graduated. He was made the guest of honor of the 
occasion, given a seat next to President Noah Porter at all 
the exercises, and the degree of LL.D. was conferred on 
him. The displays of academic eloquence were long. 
During the orations Sherman slipped out of the chapel, 
and his absence was not noticed for some time. When it 
was noticed a deputation of the faculty rushed off to 
discover the whereabouts of their distinguished guest. 
Their quest was of short duration. On a bench in front of 
the chapel General Sherman was seated, puffing his cigar 
and engaged in animated conversation with an old negro 
who had just been discharged from the workhouse and 
who was smoking one of the General's havanas. He felt 
the need of a smoke, saw no reason wh/ he should not 



THE PACIFIC RAILROAD. 551 

take a cigar without disturbing any one, and had fallen into 
conversation with the only other occupant of the park 
bench. It afterward was made evident that General 
Sherman in his short conversation had learned more about 
the manner in which the New Haven workhouse was con- 
ducted than any member of the Yale faculty knew. 

Sherman's interest in the Pacific Railroad was referred 
to by General Wager Swayne, who said : — 

"As long ago as 1849 General Sherman wrote a letter 
to his brother, John Sherman, which the latter published 
in TJie National Intelligencer, advocating the construction 
of a railroad across the continent, and he was an untiring 
friend of the road from that time until Its completion, in the 
summer of 1869. 

" He told me that if at the time of writing that letter to 
his brother John he could have secured the immediate con- 
struction of a railroad across the continent by signing a 
contract to lay down his own life, he should have done it, 
he thought. 

" In his " Memoirs " he gives an account of carrying from 
Sonoma, Cal., to Sacramento, to the commanding officer of 
the United States forces there, an order to make a survey 
ot the Feather River, so as to ascertain the feasibility of 
constructing a railroad through the valley of that stream. 
That was the first survey ever made with a view to the 
construction of a transcontinental road, and while the 
General does not say so in his " Memoirs," I have from his 
own lips that the impulse and the conception were his own, 
and he procured the signature to the order of the com- 
manding general by personal solicitation. 

" When, at the close of the war, General Granville M, 
Dodge was called from the Army, being then still m ser- 
vice, to take charge of the construction of the Union Pacific 



552 CREDIT FOR TAKING VICKSBURG. 

road, General Sherman not only gave him leave cordially, 
but he also spontaneously promised him all possible assist- 
ance, and General Dodge has testified, in an elaborate paper, 
that he does not see how he could have built the road ex- 
cept with the countenance and support which he received 
from General Sherman, as the Indians were then a power 
on the plains. 

"In the summer of 1869, twenty years after his first letter 
on the subject. General Sherman stood m the War Depart- 
ment, and heard the strokes from an electric bell, which 
announced the successive blows of the hammer on the last 
spike in the construction of the road, and he told me that 
in view of his long interest m the enterprise, he felt, as he 
himself put it, as if the Lord might come for him then." 

General Cyrus Bussey, assistant Secretary of the Inte- 
rior, was an old comrade and close friend of Sherman, and 
he said of him : 

" I first met General Sherman at Benton Barracks, Mo., 
in November, 1861. I had reported there with a full regi- 
ment of cavalry. General Sherman had just assumed com- 
mand, after having been relieved in Kentucky under a 
cloud, being charged with insanity, I spent many even- 
ings with the General at his headquarters, and received 
from him many valuable lessons which greatly aided me as 
an officer of the Army during all my subsequent services. 
During the siege of Vicksburg I was chief of cavalry, and 
served immediately under General Sherman's command. 
I saw much of him during the siege, and led the advance 
of his army m the campaign to Jackson, against Joe John- 
ston's army, immediately after the fall of Vicksburg. After 
the enemy was routed and dnv^en out of the country my 
command occupied the rear, and General Sherman accom- 
panied me both on the advance and on the return to our 



THE BURNING OF ATLANTA. 553 

camps in the rear of Vicksburg. So I had an excellent op- 
portunity of becoming intimately acquainted with him, 
and there I formed a great admiration for hmi as a man and 
a general, 

"One circumstance I wish to mention. While waiting at 
Jackson after the retreat of Johnston, the Chief Justice of 
the Supreme Court of Mississippi tendered to General 
Sherman and his staff a banquet, at which General Frank 
P. Blair proposed a toast to General Grant. General Sher- 
man rose and said : ' I want to respond to that toast. I 
see that many newspapers of the country have credited me 
with originating the plan adopted by General Grant for the 
capture of Vicksburg. I want to say that I am not entitled 
to this credit. General Grant alone originated that plan 
and carried it to successful completion without the co- 
operation of any of his subordinate officers, and in the 
face of my protest as well as that of many of the officers.' " 

The question of the burning of Atlanta was often raised 
in the years after the war, and to the end of his life Sher- 
man was denounced by many Southerners for what they 
were pleased to term his inhumanity and malice. In the 
spring of 1 880, Captain Burke, commander of the " Gate 
City Guard," at Atlanta, wrote to him, calling his attention 
to a proposed memorial hall in that city, and Sherman 
made this reply : 

" J/j/ Dear Sir. — Your letter of March 6 with inclosure, 
is received, and I assure you of my interest in the subject 
matter and willingness to contribute to the execution of 
your plan to erect in the city of Atlanta a memorial hall 
to commemorate the revival of sectional unity and senti- 
ment — but were I to do so for the reasons set forth in the 
inclosed circular, I would be construed as indorsing the 
expressions which are erroneous, viz: 'During the late 



554 SHERMAN'S TALK WITH GRADY. 

unfortunate war the city of Atlanta was destroyed by the 
forces of General Sherman/ and ' a wilderness of blackened 
walls recorded the fratricidal strife that deluged our country 
in misfortune,* 

" Atlanta was not destroyed by the army of the United 
States commanded by General Sherman. No private dwel- 
Img was destroyed by the United States army, but some 
were by that commanded by General Hood along his line 
of defense. The Court House still stands; all the buildings 
on that side of the railroad and all those along Peachtree 
street, the best street in the city, still remain. Nothing was 
destroyed by my orders but the depots, workshops, found- 
ries, etc., close by the depots, and two blocks of mercantile 
stores also close to the depot took fire from the burning 
storehouse or foundry, and our troops were prevented from 
checking the spread of the fire by reason of concealed shells 
loaded and exploding in that old building. The railroad 
car and machine shops on the edge of the town toward 
Decatur street, were burned before we entered Atlanta, by 
General Hood's orders." 

To the Hon. Henry W. Grady, a few days later, Sherman 
said personally : 

" The city of Atlanta was never burned as a city. I 
notice that the headquarters I occupied, all the houses 
about it, and the headquarters of the other officers were all 
standing when I revisited the place a year or two since. 
The residence streets were not burned at all." 

" It was your intention, then, to burn only the heart of 
the city ? " 

* My intention was clearly expressed in a written order 
to General Poe. It was simply to burn the buildings in 
which public stores had been placed or would likely be 
placed. This included only four buildings, as I recollect j 



KIND FEELINGS TOWARD THE SOUTIi. 555 

not over five or six. One of these was a warehouse above 
the depot, in which or under which were a number of 
shells. From this building a block of business houses took 
fire and the destruction went beyond the limits intended. 
The old Trout House was burned by some of the men, who 
had some reason for burning it. I ordered the round house 
burned. I wanted to destroy the railroad so that it could 
not be used. I then wanted to destroy the public buildings, 
so that Atlanta could not be used as a depot of .supplies. I 
ordered, as I say, four or five houses set on nrc, but as far 
as burning the city in the sense of wanton destruction, I 
never thought of such a thing. I shirked no responsibility 
that war imposed, but I never went beyond my duty." 

His kindly feeling toward the city and people with whom 
he once dealt so sternly was well shown in a letter which 
he wrote in 1879 ^'^ Captain E. P. Howell, of the Atlanta 
Constitution. 

" My opportunities for studying the physical features of 
Georgia," he said, "have been large. In 1843-4 I went 
from Augusta to Marietta in a stage (when Atlanta had no 
existence) ; thence to Bellefonte, Alabama, on horseback, 
returning afterwards, all the way on horseback, to Augusta 
by a different road; again, in 1864, I conducted, as all the 
world knows, a vast army from Chattanooga to Atlanta and 
Savannah, and just now have passed over the same district 
in'railway cars. Considering the history of this period of 
time (35 years), the development of the country has been 
great, but not comparable with California, Iowa, Wisconsin, 
or Kansas, in all which States I have had similar chances 
for observation. The reason why Georgia has not kept 
pace with the States I have named is beyond question that 
emigration would not go where slavery existed. Now 
that this cause is removed there is no longer any reason 



556 



RESOURCES 01: THE SOUTH. 



why Georgia, especially the northern part, should not 
rapidly regain her prominence among the great States of 
our Union. I know that no section is more favored in 
climate, health, soil, minerals, water, and everything which 
man needs for his material wants, and to contribute to his 
physical and intellectual development. Your railroads now 
finished give your people cheap supplies, and the means 
of sending in every section their surplus products of the 
soil or ot manufactures. You have immense beds of iron 
and coal, besides inexhaustible quantities of timber, oak, 
hickory, beech, poplar, pine, etc., so necessary in modern 
factories, and which are becoming scarce in other sections 
of our busy country. 

" I have crossed this continent many times, by almost 
every possible route, and I feel certain that at this time no 
single region holds out as strong inducements for indus- 
trious emigrants as that from Lynchburg, Virginia, to 
Huntsville, Alabama, right and left, embracing the mountain 
ranges and intervening valleys, especially East Tennessee, 
North Georgia and Alabama. I hope I will not give 
offence in saying that the present population has not done 
full justice to this naturally beautiful and most favored 
region of our country, and that two or three millions of 
people could be diverted from the great West to this region 
with profit and advantage to all concerned. This whole 
region, though called 'southern,' is in fact 'northern' — 
viz. : it is a wheat-growing country ; has a climate in no 
sense tropical or southern, but was designed by nature for 
small farms and not for large plantations. In the region 
I have named North Georgia forms a most important part, 
and your city, Atlanta, is its natural centre or capital. It 
is admirably situated, a thousand feet above the sea, healthy, 
with abundance of the purest water and with granite, lime- 



FORGETTING PAST ENMITIES. ttj 

stone, sandstone and clay convenient to build a second 
London. In 1864 my army, composed of near a hundred 
thousand men, all accustomed to a northern climate, were 
grouped about Atlanta from June to November without 
tents, and were as vigorous, healthy and strong as though 
they were in Ohio or New York. Indeed, the whole 
country from the Tennessee to the Ocmulgee is famous for 
health, pure water, abundant timber and with a large pro- 
portion of good soil, especially in the valleys, and all you 
need is more people of the right sort. 

" I am satisfied, from my recent visit, that Northern pro- 
fessional men, manufacturers, mechanics and farmers may 
come to Atlanta, Rome and Chattanooga with a certainty 
of fair dealing and fair encouragement. Though I was per- 
sonally regarded the bete-noir of the late war in your region, 
the author of all your woes, yet I admit that I have just 
passed over the very ground desolated by the Civil War, 
and have received everywhere nothing but kind and cour- 
teous treatment from the highest to the lowest, and I heard 
of no violence to others for opinions' sake. Some Union 
men spoke to me of social ostracism, but I saw nothing of 
it, and even if it do exist it must disappear with the present 
generation. Our whole framework of government and 
history is founded on the personal and political equality of 
citizens, and philosophy teaches that social distinctions can 
only rest on personal merit and corresponding intelligence, 
and if any part of a community clings to distinctions 
founded on past conditions, it will grow less and less with 
time and finally disappear. Any attempt to build up an 
aristocracy or a privileged class at the South, on the fact 
that their fathers or grandfathers once owned slaves, will 
result in a ridiculous failure and subject the authors to the 
laughter of mankind. I refer to this subject incidentally 



558 



GROWTH OF GEORGIA. 



because others have argued the case with me, but whether 
attempted elsewhere in the South, I am certain it will not 
be attempted in Georgia. 

" Therefore, I shall believe and maintain that north 
Georgia is now in a condition to invite emigration from the 
Northern States of our Union and from Europe, and all 
parties concerned should advertise widely the great induce- 
ments your region holds out to the industrious and frugal 
of all lands ; agents should be appointed in New York to 
advise, and others at Knoxville, Chattanooga, Rome, 
Atlanta, etc., to receive emigrants and to point out to them 
on arrival where cheap lands may be had with reasonable 
credit, where companies may open coal and iron mines, 
where mills may be erected to grind wheat and corn, spin 
cotton, and to manufacture the thousand and one things 
you now buy from abroad ; and more especially to 
make known that you are prepared to welcome and patron- 
ize men who will settle in your region and form a part of 
your community. 

" Your growth and development since the war have been 
good, very good — better than I was prepared to see ; but 
compare it with San Francisco, Denver, Portland, Oregon, 
Leavenworth, Chicago, St. Louis, or hundreds of places I 
could mention, less favored in climate and location than 
Atlanta. These cities have been notoriously open to the 
whole world, and all men felt perfectly at liberty to go there 
with their families, with their acquired wealth and with their 
personal energy. You must guarantee the same, not super- 
ficially or selfishly, but with that sincerity and frankness 
which carries conviction. 

" Personally, I would not like to check the flow of emi- 
gration westward, because of the vast natural importance 




V'^ 



"^ mm^ 




GEN. LEW. WALLACE. 



"CARPET-BAGGERS:* 561 

of that region, but I do believe that every patriot should do 
what he can to benefit every part of our whole country, and 
I am sure that good will result from turning a part of this 
great tide of human life and energy southward along the 
valleys of the Allegheny Mountains, especially of East 
Tennessee, northern Georgia and Alabama, and if I can aid 
you in this good work I assure you that I will do so with 
infinite pleasure. 

" Excuse me if I ask you as an editor to let up somewhat 
on the favorite hobby of ' carpet-baggers.' I know that you 
personally apply the term only to political adventurers, but 
others, your readers, construe it otherwise. I have resided 
in San Francisco, Leavenworth and St. Louis, and of the 
men who have built up these great cities, I assert that not 
one in fifty was a native of the place. All, or substantially 
all, were ' carpet-baggers,' /. e., emigrants from all parts of 
the world, many of them from the South. Our Supreme 
Court, Congress and our most prominent and intellectual 
men, now hail from localities of their own adoption, not of 
their birth. Let the emigrant to Georgia feel and realize 
that his business and social position result from his own in- 
dustry, his merits and his virtues, and not from the acci- 
dental place of his birth, and soon the great advantages of 
climate, soil, minerals, timber, etc., etc., will fill up your 
country and make Atlanta one of the most prosperous, 
beautiful and attractive cities, not alone of the South, but of 
the whole continent, an end which I desire quite as much 
as you do." 

In the Spring of 1876 he talked at some length with 

a newspaper writer, about the South and th- leaders of the 

late rebellion, and for the latter he expressed only esteem 

and friendship. "About two weeks ago," he said, "I 

32 



562 KIND WORDS FOR FORMER FOES. 

received a letter from a mutual friend in New York, asking 
if I would recommend General Braxton Bragg for appoint- 
ment in the Khedive's army, I promptly replied that it 
would afford me pleasure to promote the interests of Bragg 
in that direction. I feel very kindly to all the Southern 
Generals. In fact, I think people everywhere throughout 
the North and West cherish no bad feeling. Jeff Davis is 
the only exception made. I do not know why it is that the 
Northern people hate him so, but they do, and will never 
get over their feeling in that respect. Davis did no worse 
than anybody else, but I suppose the people are bound to 
have somebody to hate. For instance, the Southern people 
hate General Butler about as bad or worse than the North- 
erners hate Davis. I suppose the two sections, while 
determined to cultivate friendly feelings among the people 
at large, require something on which to expend the hate 
that will unavoidably show itself at intervals. So far as the 
Northern and Southern people are concerned, they are 
rapidly assimilating, and in a few years they will be one 
people in fact as well as in name. Put the Southern and 
Northern soldiers together and you have the strongest 
element, in a military sense, that could be gotten together 
for any national purpose. As fighters, they would be 
invincible. The Southerners are impetuous and will fight 
quicker and fiercer, but they give out sooner; the North- 
erners are slower, but they stay longer; they have more 
endurance, and fight steadier and more stubbornly. In 
fighting qualities, the South represents France, and the 
North England. Put the two together and the devil couldn't 
whip them.' 

" General, why don't you recommend Jeff Davis for an 
appointment in Egypt ? " 



A CONDITIONAL ENDORSEMENT. 563 

" Oh, I wouldn't do that ; anybody but Jeff; I would 

not indorse Jeff. " 

" Perhaps it would be a public benefaction to do so ? " 
"Well, I never viewed it in that light. On second 

thought, I would gladly indorse Jeff, if he would leave the 

country. " 



CHAPTER XXXIII. 

REMINISCENCES. 

Life at the Fifth Avenue Hotel — Ex-President Hayes's Memories — 
General Meigs's Tribute — Professor Howe on Sherman's School 
Days — A Visit to the Catskills — Sherman and Joe Johnston — 
Telling about Resaca— Thinking of the Sea— Marvellous Versa. 

TILITY — (rENKRAL ROSECRANS' REMINISCENCES OF ShERMAN AT WeST 

Point. 

A pleasant view of General Sherman's life in New York 
was given by Mr. Hiram Hitchcock, of the Fifth Avenue 
Hotel, at which house Sherman lived before he purchased 
a home. " He was," said Mr. Hitchcock, "a guest of this 
house off and on for many years, and as such he naturally 
became very much beloved by our whole household. After 
General Grant's funeral was over I spent the evening with 
General Sherman and he told me of his plans for the future; 
that he wanted to move quietly from St. Louis and locate 
in New York. He said that he thought he should enjoy 
New York very much, and his youngest son was then finish- 
ing his course at Yale, and the change would bring him 
near to New Haven. After that the General arranged by 
correspondence for his rooms on the parlor floor. Twenty- 
fifth street side. He came here with Mrs. Sherman and the 
daughters, and the youngest son used to come in frequently 
from Yale. At his first after-dinner speech in New York 
— that at the New England Society dinner — General Sher- 
564 



ANXIOUS FOR HIS WIFE'S COMFORT. 565 

man referred to having moved to New York, and said that 
he had gone into winter quarters down at the Fifth Avenue 
Hotel, where there was good grass and water. 

"The General was very particular to have everything 
arranged to suit Mrs. Sherman. He said that as to himself 
it did not make very much difference. He was used to 
roughing it and he could take anything, but he wanted 
Mrs. Sherman to be very nicely fixed and to have things to 
her own mind. On the other hand Mrs. Sherman said to 
me : * It doesn't make so very much difference about me, 
but I wish to have the General comfortable. Dear old 
fellow, he has seen a great deal of roughing it, and I want 
him to be entirely at ease.' They v/ere very happy and 
comfortable here during their two years' stay, which began 
on September i, 1886, and General Sherman's idea in having 
a house was mainly to make it pleasanter and more agree- 
able, if possible, for Mrs. Sherman and the daughters ; to 
give Mrs. Sherman a little more quiet than she could have 
at a hotel, although she lived very quietly here. 

" During the General's residence here he was, of course, 
a conspicuous figure. He was always genial and affable to 
every one, very easily approached, and he received and 
entertained a great many of his old army companions and 
aided a vast number of them. In fact, no one knows ho\* 
many army men General Sherman has, first and last, 
assisted pecuniarily and in various ways, helping them to 
get positions and giving them advice and encouragement. 
He used to meet hosts of friends and acquaintances in the 
hotel. I remember his saying once that he would have to 
stop shaking hands, for he had lost one nail, and if he didn't 
quit soon he would lose them all. If he went to the dining- 
room, people from different parts of the country who knew 
him would get up and go over to his table and talk to him. 



566 SCRUPULOUS ABOUT FINANCES. 

" It was a sort of a reception with him all the time — one 
continuous reception. He was very democratic in all his 
movements, and he always dined in the public room. 

" The General kept one room for a regular working-room 
for himself. There he had his desk, a large library, scrap 
baskets, letter files, etc., and that is where he was in the 
habit of receiving his friends. 

" As for the society side of his life here, Miss Sherman 
and her father had regular weekly receptions during the 
season, in the large drawing-room. 

" General Sherman was exceedingly particular with 
reference to financial affairs. There never was a more 
honest man born than General Sherman. He was particu- 
lar to pay his bills of every sort in full and to pay them 
promptly. He could not bear to be in debt. It actually 
worried him to have a matter stand over for a day. He 
knew just exactly how his affairs stood every day, and he 
could not bear to owe a man anything for twenty-four 
hours. And he was just as honest and frank and faithful 
in speech and in every other element of his character. He 
carried his character right on the outside, and it was true 
blue. 

" When he went to his house at No. 75 West Seventy- 
first street, we kept up our relations with him, and we 
would occasionally send up some little thing to him. Soon 
after he moved we sent him a couple of packages, and in 
acknowledgment he sent us this letter : — 

"*75 West Seventy-first St., Sept. 28th, 1888. 
Messrs. Hitchcock, Darling & Co., Fifth Avenue Hotel, 
N. Y. 

Dear Sirs : — I am this moment in receipt of two boxes, 
the contents of which will, I am sure, be most acceptable 
to self and guests. With profound thanks for past favors, 



CALLINS ON AN OLD FRIEND. t^tj 

many and heavy, and a hearty wish for your continued 
prosperity, I am, and always shall be, your grateful debtor, 

W. T, Sherman.' 

" Whenever the old General would come to this part of 
the city he would drop in. If he was going to the theatre 
he would call in before or after the performance — at all 
hours, in fact, he would come, and between his engagements. 
He used to sit in this office and chat. He was in this office 
just after Secretary Windom's death, and was asking about 
that sad occurrence. The last time he was here was only 
a night or two before he was taken sick with the fatal cold 
which was the beginning of his last illness. I went to the 
door with him and bade him good-night, and he turned and 
said cheerily, ' Come up, Hitchcock, come up.' I said, 
' I'll be up in a few days,' and off he moved in his quick 
way. 

" The General was, as everybody knows, a splendid 
conversationalist. He had a wonderful fund of anecdote, 
story and reminiscence, and was a capital story-teller. He 
was never at a loss for a ready reply. 

" This was one of his comments on a story that he was 
not quite ready to believe. * Oh, well, you can tell that to the 
marines, but don't tell it to an old soldier like me.' 

" I think there was one very striking peculiarity about 
General Sherman. Of course we have seen it in different 
public men, but I think it might be said of Sherman fully as 
strongly as of any other public man, either in military or 
civil life, that he was as brave as a lion and as gentle as a 
woman. When anything touched him it revealed the sym- 
pathy of his nature. He was wonderfully kind-hearted. 

" If there was an uncompromising patriot anywhere in 
the country it was General Sherman, and he manifested that 
in every walk of life, every expression, every look. He 



56S GENERAL HAYES'S MEMORIES. 

was a true hero. He was not only one of the great men, 
but one of the purest men of his time," 

Ex-President Hayes was much affected by the death of 
Sherman, whom he knew well, though he had not served 
under him in the army. He said : 

" My intimate acquaintance with General Sherman dates 
only since the war. I had been on friendly terms with him 
for about twenty-five years. He v/as so well known to the 
whole people, and especially to the Union soldiers, that 
there is hardly any reason for off-hand talk about him. 
There are prob'ably few men who ever lived in any country 
who were known and loved as General Sherman was. He 
was ;the idol of the soldiers of the Union Army. His 
presence at soldiers' meetings and with soldiers' societies 
and organizations was always hailed with the utmost de- 
light. When the General was present the enthusiasm 
created by his inspiring presence was such as to make him 
the chief attraction at all important gatherings. He was 
always cordial and very happy in his greetings to his com- 
rades. He was full of the comrade spirit, and all, from 
the humblest soldier to the corps commander, were equally 
gratified by the way in which they were met and greeted 
by General Sherman. 

" He will be greatly missed and greatly mourned by the 
whole body of men who served with and under him, and, 
indeed, by all the soldiers of all the armies. He was gener- 
ally regarded by them as the military genius of the war. 
He was a voluminous writer, and a ready, prompt and capital 
talker. Probably no man who was connected with the war 
said as many things which will be remembered and quoted 
hereafter as did General Sherman. 

" In figure, in face and in bearing he was the ideal soldier. 
I think that it can be said of him as he once said of another, 



TO MAKE ROME HOWL. 569 

that 'with hhn gone, the world seems less bright and less 
cheerful than it was before.' The soldiers in looking around 
for consolation for his death will find much in the fact that he 
lived so long — almost twenty-six years after the final victory. 
There is also probably some consolation in the fact that he 
hus gone before age and disease had impaired his wonder- 
ful powers and attractions. He was, in short, the most 
picturesque, magnetic and original character in the great 
conflict. He was occasionally, in his writings and talk, 
wonderfully pathetic. I recall nothing connected with the 
war that was finer in that way than a letter which he wrote, 
probably during the second year of the w^ar, when his son, 
about ten years old, who was name<^ after the General, died 
in camp. The boy fancied that he belonged to a regiment 
of his father's command, and the members of the regiment 
were very attentive to him during his sickness, and at the 
time of his death. General Sherman wrote a letter to the 
men of the regiment, thanking them for w^hat they had done. 
I cannot now recall the terms of that letter, but I doubt not 
that if it were now published many an eye would moisten 
as it was read. 

" A very noble trait in the character of General Sherman 
was the fidelity of his friendships. His loyal support of 
Grant under all the circumstances cannot be surpassed in 
all the history of the relations between eminent men 
engaged in a common cause." 

" I recall a telegram received from General Sherman one 
November day in 1864," said General W. S. Rosecrans, 
"while I was in the Department of the Missouri. The 
telegram read : ' I start to-day for Atlanta and will make 
Rome howl.' 

" And he did it, too," continued General Rosecrans. " I 
had known General Sherman since 1838, although I was 



570 AN INTERVIEW WITH FADDY. 

not thrown much with him in service. In 1850 he was 
paying court to Miss Ewing, and after their engagement he 
came all the way to Newport to invite me to the wedding. 

" I had always been a great admirer of General Sherman. 
His character as a man was one to command admiration. 
Of course it is difficult to select for comment thereon any 
particular passage of a life that was so busy and so full of 
great deeds." 

General Meigs said : " The first time I met General 
Sherman was on the return of McDowell's army. I called 
on him at his headquarters across the river from Bull Run. 
Sherman at that time was in the prime of life, and the 
measure I then took of him has been fully justified. His 
nature was naturally genial and democratic, notwithstand- 
ing his West Point training. 

" While we were talking, an enlisted man — an Irish 
soldier — approached, and in rich Irish brogue asked the 
General to put his finger in the muzzle of his gun to see 
that it was clean. Sherman tried to put him off, but the 
Irishman insisted, when, to get rid of him, Sherman com- 
plied and laughingly remarked : ' Now go off and mind 
your business.' 

" Previous to the war he had served on the Cherokee 
Commission, and his experience at that time, he afterward 
told me, was valuable, as the Cherokee reservation was 
located in a large portion of the country through which he 
subsequently travelled with his army. Even while in 
Washington he was continually exploring the country, and 
in a very short time had its topography thoroughly mapped 
in his mind. I may say that there never was a great 
general — and Sherman certainly ranks among the greatest — 
who did not possess this invaluable faculty, which Marmont, 
in his treatise on the service of war, says enables a man not 



SHERMAN'S SCHOOLMASTER. 



571 



only to see what lies directly before him but what lies far 
beyond the scope of his vision. Another valuable trait he 
possessed was that he reached his conclusions promptly 
and then acted upon them. More than one general failed 
to achieve greatness in the Union army because he hesitated 
when he should have acted. 

" General Sherman socially was one of the most charm- 
ing of men. If he was brilliant on the field of battle, in the 
social circle he was the prince of entertainers. His man- 
hood was symmetrical, his talents as a general of the first 
rank and his fame immortal." 

Professor W. P. Howe, of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, a son of 
Sherman's old schoolmaster, wrote as follows in the Iowa 
State Register : 

" My father had the high privilege of very largely mould- 
ing the character and the career of General Sherman, as 
well as the destiny of many others who afterwards became 
distinguished in the history of our beloved country. Gen- 
eral Sherman and Senator John Sherman were both students 
under my father's care and instruction for several years, at 
the high school and female seminary located at Lancaster, 
Ohio. My father, the late Professor Samuel L. Howe, was 
for many years the principal of said academy, and here, in 
the above quiet little village, was the family home of the 
Shermans. Mrs. Sherman, the mother, was at the time a 
widow, living a quiet and secluded life, but a woman of 
great force of character, and determined that her children 
should have the fullest opportunity for mental and moral 
development. My father fitted young Sherman for West 
Point, and was careful and thorough to the last degree in 
everything pertaining to his profession. But he was espe- 
cially devoted to the inculcation of moral principle, heart 



572 



DISCIPLINE INCULCATED. 



culture, in the minds of his pupils. He constantly instilled 
these great essential principles into the receptive minds of 
the young men under his care with all the power at his 
command. And when love failed to accomplish the work, 
then physical discipline was called in. Now the Sherman 
boys were proud, high-spirited fellows, like most American 
lads, and often wanted their own way, and at onp time the 
government of the academy depended upon who should 
rule, they or their teacher. Being duly informed, the 
widow Sherman attended the college in person and said 
the proper correction should be administered under her 
own eye, — and it was thus given, but I have often heard my 
good father say that the boys gave him a long and severe 
struggle, and that his clothing was badly torn and disar- 
ranged in the contest. But here was General Sherman's 
first great and grand lesson in discipline; a lesson no 
doubt, which proved of immense value to him during the 
remainder of life. From this time forward the boys were 
the models of the school, and occupied the front rank both 
in moral and mental leadership. 

" Brigadier General Stone, who commanded a brigade in 
the Fifteenth Army Corps in 1864, submitted for publica- 
tion some personal reminiscences of General Sherman. In 
one of these interviews, he (Sherman) paid the following 
just and generous tribute to his old teacher : 

" ' General Stone, I consider Prof. Samuel L. Howe to be 
one of the best teachers in the United States. I owe more 
to him for my first start in life than to any other man in 
America.' 

"Any teacher, any family, might well be proud of a 
tribute like the above, coming from such an exalted source, 
and very truthfully may I add to the above that during all 



A SYMPATHETIC LETTER. 573 

of his life General Sherman entertained the highest regard 
for, and ever manifested a lively and affectionate interest in, 
his venerated teacher and his family. 

"In the year 1877 my revered and honored father de- 
parted this life at Mt, Pleasant, Iowa, and perhaps the fol- 
lowing autograph letter from General Sherman, written to 
me in reference to that event, may still more clearly illus- 
trate the affectionate and lovable side of that great man's 
character : — 

"'Headquarters U. S. Army, Washington, D. C., 

April 26th, 1877. 
Warrington Howe, Esq. 

" 'Bear Friend: — I have received your letter, with the news- 
paper slip containing the full and just tribute to your father, 
the late Samuel L. Howe. I regret extremely that in my 
perambulations over this great country of late years, I never 
had the chance to meet your father, which I wanted to do. 
And now, though forty long and eventful years have passed 
since I left his school at Lancaster, Ohio, I can recall his 
personal appearance to mind as clearly as though it were 
yesterday. I have always borne willing testimony to his 
skill and merits as a teacher, and am sure that the thor- 
ough modes of instruction in arithmetic and grammar pur- 
sued by him prepared me for easy admission to West Point, 
and for a respectable standing in my class. I have heard 
from time to time of the changes that attended his useful 
career, and am glad to learn that he has left behind the flour- 
ishing academy at Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, with children quali- 
fied to take up his work where he left off, and carry it to 
completion. 

" * I beg you will convey to your mother the assurance of 
my great respect and sympathy in her great affliction. I 
recall her also to memory ; a young mother, living in the 



574 SHERMAN IN THE CATSKILLS. 

house of" Papa" Boyle, close by the school-heuse built by 
Mr. Howe in the old orchard, and it is hard for me to 
realize that she is now a widow and a grandmother. I feel 
sure, however, that Mr. Howe has left behind him hundreds 
and thousands that revere his memory, and will perpetuate 
it by deeds and virtues which his example and precept 
suggested. Truly your friend, 

' W. T. Sherman.' 

"The above letter has been preserved by me with 
religious care during all these years, and will be so long as 
life shall last. In a few brief closing words permit me to 
say that the high privilege of having moulded and directed 
such a character as that of General Sherman — a character 
which has so eminently honored our country and blessed 
the age in which we live — is a matter of honorable and just 
pride to any man and family and a constant source of 
inspiration to high and noble living." 

Mr. Charles F. Wingate said of Sherman, as he knew 
him near the end of his life : 

"I had heard General Sherman at the famous dinner 
given many years ago, at the St, Nicholas Hotel, where 
General Grant, Henry Ward Beecher, Lawrence Barrett 
and Joseph Howard, Jr., also made memorable speeches, 
but I never came in personal contact with the hero of the 
March to the Sea, until the summer of 1889, when he made 
a too brief visit to Twilight Park, in the Catskills. He had 
been staying at the Mountain House, I think, and rode over 
with two ladies of his family to call upon some friends in 
the Park, so that I had an opportunity of talking freely 
with him. My previous impressions were all upset by this 
experience. Instead of the hard-featured, grim martinet, 
depicted in his photographs, loquacious, opinionated and 
over-bearing, whom I expected to see, the great General 



GREETING A VETERAN. 575 

impressed me as almost handsome, with fine, courtly, dig- 
nified bearing, affable, unpretentious, kind-hearted and 
without the slightest trace of vanity or egotism. I watched 
him critically during his entire stay, and was unable to 
detect any sign of self-consciousness. He seemed as 
natural, as warm-hearted and as simple as a child. He 
greeted everybody with cordiality, and made us all feel at 
ease in his company. 

" There was a group of carpenters — all native Americans 
— working upon a new cottage near by, who were naturally 
anxious to see the General, especially as some of them had 
served in the war. He went over to meet them in the 
frankest manner, and when an old veteran, some seventy 
years of age, said to him, ' I am glad to see you. General,' 
Sherman responded in his hearty manner, 'I know you're 
glad to see me and I'm glad to see you, too,' and he shook 
hands with the delighted workman in true democratic 
fashion. 

" His remarkable vigor was shown by the quietness 
with which he mounted a steep stairway leading to a cottage 
on a hillside. The exertion did not affect him in the least 
and he seemed the youngest and most alert of the party. 
When offered some refreshment on the piazza, he raised 
his glass and, glancing around, said, ' Gentlemen, in the 
famous words of John Phenix, I impair my own health by 
drinking yours.' While seated there, he told many inter- 
esting anecdotes of famous men whom he met — Lincoln, 
Grant, Von Moltke, Bismarck and others. He did not 
monopolize the conversation and only spoke of his ex- 
perience in response to questions. One of the gentlemen 
present had been connected with the United States Sanitary 
Commission, and this fact suggested some of the topics 
touched upon. Reference was made to the horrors of war 



5/6 TALKING TO BOYS. 

and the difficult position of a commander who has to order 
an assault which he knows will lead to great sacrifice of 
life, Sherman replied that such matters become a necessity, 
and are part of the soldier's business, however trying. 
Personal feelings cannot be considered on such occasions. 

"As we left the cottage, he turned and looked around, 
saying, with a characteristic laugh, ' How are the points 
of the compass here ? I am an old campaigner and like to 
know the exact location of places where I have been enter- 
tained, so that I can find them again.' 

" I was anxious that my boy, who was off fishing, should 
see the hero of the war, at the impressionable age of youth, 
and he fortunately came up just then with a son of Mac« 
Gahan, the famous war correspondent m the Balkans, 
Sherman had known the latter intimately, having traveled 
500 miles in his company during his Russian journey. He 
greeted both boys in a fatherly fashion, and at my request 
gave each of them a visiting card as a memento of the 
meeting. Presently I ventured to say : 

" ' General, these youngsters have no conception of a 
commander doing anything but prancing around in full 
uniform, on a fiery steed, or leading charges sword in hand, 
and cutting down a score of fellows with his own hand. 
Won't you tell them if you ever did any actual fighting like 
Caesar and Alexander, and how many hundred men you 
have killed ? ' 

" Sherman laughed good-naturedly, and patting the boys 
on the head said that he was usually away from the thick 
of the fighting, and he only remembered once engaging 
personally in it. He and his staff were under fire, and he 
noticed one man on the other side who seemed to be in 
plain view, and who was peppering them as fast as he could 
load and fire. Acting upon a sudden impulse Sherman 



RUSSIAN REMINISCENCES. 579 

turned to a Union soldier standing near by, and seizing his 
rifle took a snap-shot at the Rebel, who disappeared, ' and 
that,' said Sherman, ' was the only time I ever shot any 
one.' 

" Reference being made to his Russian visit, he related 
an account of a grand reception which he attended in St. 
Petersburg, where he was introduced to two charming 
ladies who spoke English, and invited him to call at their 
residence. To his dismay, Sherman could not find any 
card or scrap of paper to set down the address, so he 
gallantly wrote it on his white glove. 

" ' It was one of those regular Russian names — two 
coughs and a sneeze,' he explained, ' and I never could have 
remembered it otherwise.' 

"And so the hour passed pleasantly until the carriage 
returned, and the hero drove off with his companions, leav- 
ing a delightful impression upon all who had met him. 
These may seem trifling incidents, but they picture the 
defender of the Republic as he appeared in familiar inter- 
course toward the close of his remarkable career. Only a 
month before his death I received a note written in his neat 
chirography apologizing for his failure to attend the annual 
dinner of the Twilight Club, to which he had been espe- 
cially invited. There is a certain quaintness in the abbre- 
viations and a stately sweep in the signature which suggests 
Washington's letters. It is a model of easy courtesy: 

*'* Dear Sir: I thank you for your kind remembrance 
and invitation for the 8th inst. of your Twilight Club, and 
regret that during my two weeks' absence at Washington 
and Phila., from which I have just returned, my factotum 
has committed me to more engagements next week than I 
can fulfil. With best compliments to Yr. brother, I am 
sincerely yours, Wm. T. Sherman.' 

33 



580 SHERMAN AT THE GRAND REVIEW. 

" OCher and far less occupied men will ignore or forget 
such matters, but General Sherman was punctilious in the 
performance of the smallest duty." 

Some interesting personal reminiscences of Sherman, 
beginning at the end of the war, were given by a writer in 
the New York Evening Post. " The first time I remember 
seeing Sherman near at hand," he said, " was at the grand 
review at Washington in May, 1865, when, dismounting 
from his horse at the grand stand as his army marched by, 
he ascended the steps to meet the President and Cabinet. 
My seat was close by, so that I could almost touch him as 
he passed up, and I can never forget his firm, vigorous 
step, still less the nervous quivering of his lip and the 
bristling up of his tawny moustache as he met Secretary 
Stanton, who had treated him so roughly about Johnston's 
capitulation. He drew back as Stanton stood ready to 
extend his hand and, bowing slightly, took his seat. It 
reminded me of a tiger-cat or lion meeting an enemy and 
ready to spring at his throat. There is no question that 
Sherman, though a generous enemy, was a good hater. 

" The next occasion which brings him to mind is my 
return from Florida in 1 870, when I met an ante-bellum 
acquaintance. Col. Archie Cole. He had been on Lieut.- 
Gen. Joe Johnston's staff, and told me, in grandiloquent 
language, of the plans they had concocted for trapping and 
destroying Sherman at Atlanta, which he said would have 
changed the whole result of the war. These plans, he 
boasted, were only disturbed by Jefferson Davis's appoint- 
ment of Hood in the place of Johnston. I heard the story 
without much accepting it, but did accept Col. Cole's 
invitation to meet Gen. Joe Johnston at his rooms at a 
Savannah hotel, where, accordingly, I encountered the 



SHERMAN AND JOHNSTON. 58 1 

great rebel, and got from him a pretty strong confirmation 
of the idea, then prevailing among Gen. McClellan's friends, 
that he (McCIellan), having the ironclad Mci'vimac on his 
flank at Norfolk, was fully justified by military axioms in 
going to Yorktown instead of taking the James River base 
before the wonderful Monitor met and repulsed the Con- 
federate ram. 

" I did not ask Johnston about his proposed capture of 
Sherman, but on my way North met and sat by the latter 
at Wm. H. Aspinwall's dinner party, in New York, given 
to General Sherman, two or three days after I had seen 
Johnston and his staff officer at Savannah. Among others, 
there was present a rebel, from Richmond, perhaps a Major- 
General, who was then making iron at the Tredegar Works. 
In a pause in the conversation I said to General Sherman: 
'I have just been South, where I saw your old opponent, 
Joe Johnston, and had a talk with him and one of his staff 
officers ; the latter thought you were in a very tight place 
at Atlanta, and that Johnston's removal changed the whole 
history of the war. I suppose when General Johnston was 
removed by Jeff. Davis, you must have been mighty glad to 
see him replaced by an inferior, mad-cap soldier like Hood? 
How was it?' 'Well,' said the General, with his usual 
frankness, ' of course I was glad to lose Johnston from my 
front, but it really made no great difference in the long run, 
and one da}', when Johnston (who had been at West Point 
with me) and I were sitting under a shade tree in North 
Carolina, waiting to hear whether his terms of capitulation 
were ratified by Grant, I said, " Tell me, Joe, did it make any 
difference, except a few days, more or less in time, and some 
bloodshed ? We had beaten you then, and, with the pick 
oi the Northern armies at my elbow, you could not long 



582 A CASE OF DISCIPLINE. 

have stopped our march." Johnston readily acceded to 
that,' said Sherman, * and that was the simple truth and all 
there was to it.' 

" Finding him ready, as usual, to speak out, notwithstand- 
ing his having the rebel Major-General sitting opposite, I 
said, ' I saw too. General, what they call down there " Sher- 
man's monuments " — blackened chimneys and ruins — paint- 
ing you as quite a monster of cruelty.' The General's face 
grew grave, and he tersely said, the company all attention 
now, 'I'll just tell you the only case when I hesitated to 
push discipline and punish my officers for wilful destruc- 
tion. Of course marauders and camp-followers burned, 
robbed, and committed outrages we could not always 
reach, but the one other case was this. One day Colonel 

of the th Ohio, was brought to headquarters 

under arrest for burning a plantation house. On being 
questioned he said : 

" * Well, General, I have no defence to make ; shoot me, 
but hear my story first. (He was not a literary fellow, and 
did not put into Latin " Strike but hear.") Escaping from 
prison some time ago, I was caught by bloodhounds and 

d d rebels, and brought to this plantation house ; while 

I lay there, torn and bleeding, the owner came out and 
kicked and cursed me, and I swore if I lived I would pay 
him off. I have gone and done it, and am now ready for a 
file of men and muskets to square my accounts.' 

" ' What,' said Sherman, * could I do ? I had to pas^ it by 
quietly ; but that was the only case when I forgave such a 
breach of the orders only to burn buildings under certain 
exigencies of war.' All this was said earnestly, but without 
exaggeration, and I shall not soon forget his face and the 
withering look he east at our vis-a-vis rebel, who sat and 



BODGING POLITICS. 583 

took the medicine like a good enough fellow, as he really 
was. 

" The last time I saw General Sherman was when Porter 
brought him, in the Tallapoosa, to Cape Cod and stood next 
to him at a deer hunt. The General was brimming over 
with the enjoyment of his holiday, and when at night the 
boys and girls sang his old war songs, I thought they 
would never get him back to the ship," 

One evening, it is related, General Sherman went into a 
club of which he was an honorary member. At that time 
a hot Presidential campaign was going on and the subject 
most warmly discussed at the club that evening was poli- 
tics. When the General entered the room there was a 
spontaneous cry for his opinion. General Sherman was not 
a politician, and he said that he would rather not say any- 
thing about the campaign. But he told a story, and it was 
a good story — a military tale which described a driving 
charge in the face of shot and shell. This story was about 
the battle of Resaca, and when it was ended a young man 
went up to General Sherman and asked him what the battle 
of Resaca was. For a moment General Sherman was taken 
back. " Resaca," he said, " don't you know about Resaca?" 
Then, while every one was waiting to shake hands with 
him or to get a word with him, he stood in one corner with 
the young man and spent fifteen minutes in telling him all 
about Resaca. Meanwhile his many friends stood about 
waiting for him to end his conversation with the young man, 
to whom the General had never before spoken. 

Sherman once remarked, in conversation with a friend, 
that a woman had asked him how he felt when he got ready 
to make his great march to the sea. The General had a 
wonderful smile, which spoke volumes. He looked afar off. 



584 ^ COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGIST. 

and then turning quickly said : " When she asked me 
what I thought, I said to her that I thought of the 
sea." 

Colonel L. M. Dayton, who served on Sherman's staff 
during the war, said that what struck him most in the 
General's character was his versatility. " I cannot help 
believing," he said, " that as a general he was greater than 
any other the war produced. He planned a campaign to 
its uttermost limit before he began active operations. For 
instance, in the Vicksburg campaign, while General Grant 
might not have figured out his movements beyond the 
actual capture of that city itself, General Sherman in his 
place would have outlined clearly what he would do with 
his men after the siege and what disposition he would 
make of the baggage and siege guns. 

" When we started out from Atlanta on the march to the 
sea nobody knew what our objective point on the Atlantic 
coast was except a few members of the staff and the authori- 
ties at Washington. Everybody else simply knew that we 
were going to march across Georgia to the coast. When 
General Sherman reached Savannah, which of course was 
all along known to the authorities as our objective point, he 
was greatly surprised to find that a gunboat had been des- 
patched down the coast to meet him there. The captain 
of this gunboat had succeeded in ascending Ossabaw Sound 
and the Ogeechee River, which lies just back of Savannah, 
and made instant communication with the General. An 
important official document which had been brought down 
in this way was handed to General Sherman in my presence. 
When he received it he got excited and seemed vexed 
about something. I noticed his color rising and a look of 
irritation in his eye as well as the nervous motion of the 
left arm which characterized him when anything annoyed 



BELFkELlANT DMClSIOAr. 585 

him. It seemed, for instance, as if he was pushing some- 
thing away from him, 

"'Come here, Dayton,' said he, and we went into the 
inner room of the building where he made his headquarters. 
As soon as we got inside he began to swear, and I could see 
that he was greatly opposed to the suggestions that had 
apparently been contained in the document. ' I won't do 
it,' he would say to himself several times over ; ' I won't 
do anything of the kind.' 

"The document was an official order from Secretary 
Stanton, approved by General Grant, for General Sherman 
to wait with his army at Savannah for transports which had 
been sent down the coast to convey them by sea to the 
mouth of the James, and then to ascend that river to co- 
operate with Grant. General Sherman had all along in- 
tended to march his army up the coast, across country, and 
he sat down at once and wrote a letter to General Grant 
explaining to him why he was opposed to taking a sea 
voyage with his men ; how he thought such an experience 
would demoralize them with sea-sickness, confinement in 
close quarters and lack of exercise, and how he had decided 
to take all the responsibility and march them up by land, in 
accordance with his original plans. He said he would be 
at Goldsboro, N, C., on the 21st day of March, 1865, and 
that if any other orders were sent to him there they would 
reach him promptly. So closely did he calculate that on the 
23d of March he was in possession of Goldsboro. 

"As Sherman had at that time practically an army of a 
hundred thousand men, which could easily annihilate any 
opposition he might meet with on his march, the wisdom 
of his course was at once apparent to the authorities, and 
no attempt was made to interfere with his execution of his 
plans. As a matter of fact he did encounter Joe Johnston 



5S6 SCHOOL-DAY REMINISCENCES. 

on the way up the coast and defeated him at Bentonville. 
That, I beheve, was his last battle. No other general would 
have dared to do what Sherman did in this instance. The 
boldness of his military genius and his keen insight into 
the future were admirably illustrated by it." 

General Rosecrans, who has already been quoted, had 
many reminiscences of Sherman, beginning with his cadet 
days at West Point, which school he entered two years 
later than Sherman. To Mr. Frank G. Carpenter, the well 
known writer, General Rosecrans said : 

" Sherman was two classes above me, but he was one of 
the most popular and brightest fellows in the academy. 
I remember him as a bright-eyed, red-headed fellow who 
was always prepared for a lark of any kind, and who usually 
had grease spots on his pants. These spots came from our 
clandestine midnight feasts, at which Sherman usually 
made the hash. He was considered the best hash maker 
at West Point, and this in our day was a great honor. The 
food given the cadets then was furnished by contract. It 
was cheap and poor, and I sometimes think that the only 
meals we relished were our midnight hash lunches. We 
prepared for them by slipping boiled potatoes into our 
handkerchiefs when at the table and hiding these away 
inside our vests. One of us would steal a lump of butter 
during a meal, and by poking it into a glove we could 
fasten it by means of a fork driven into the under part of 
the table and keep it there until we got ready to leave. In 
addition to this we, would steal a little bit of bread, and 
some of the boys had in some way or another got hold of 
stew-pans. After the materials were gotten, one of the 
boys who had a retired room where there was least danger 
of discovery would whisper invitations to the rest to meet 
him that night for a hash feast. When we got there 



A NOVEL STOREHOUSE. 587 

Sherman would mash the potatoes and mix them with 
pepper, salt and butter in such a way as to make a most 
appetizing dish. This he would cook in the stew-pan over 
the fire. We had grates in those days, and when it was 
done we would eat it sizzling hot on our bread, which we 
had toasted. As we did so we would tell stories and have 
a jolly good time, and Sherman was one of the best story- 
tellers of the lot. He was by no means a goody-goody 
boy, and he was one of those fellows who used to go down 
to Benny Haven's of a dark night, at the risk of expulsion, 
to eat oysters and drink beer. 

" Not long ago, while General of the army, he went to 
West Point, and, in company with the commandant of 
cadets, made an inspection tour of the barracks. He was'nt 
looking for contraband goods, but he got to talking about 
our old school days at West Point, and he said : ' When I 
was a cadet one of the considerations was as to what we 
were to do with our cooking utensils and other things 
during our summer vacations, and we used to hide our 
things in the chimney during the summer months. I 
wonder if the boys do so still.' This visit was made 
during the month of June, and when Sherman said this he 
was in one of the cadet's rooms. As he spoke he went to 
the fire-place and stuck his cane up the chimney. As he 
did so a frying pan, an empty bottle, a suit of citizen's 
clothes and a board which had been stretched across 
the chimney came flying down, and the cadets who occu- 
pied the room were thunder-struck. General Sherman 
laughed, and telling the commandant not to report the 
young men, he went to another room. 

" Sherman," continued Gen. Rosecrans, "^stood sixth in 
his class at West Point, and he was very high in mathe- 
matics. He could have taken the honors, but he did not 



588 CHARACTERISTIC FRANKNESS. 

care for study, and he was blunt in his ways. He had no 
policy or diplomacy about him, and if one of the profes- 
sors asked him to do a problem he would blurt out at 
times, ' I can't do it.' * Why ? ' the professor would ask. 
' Well, sir, to be frank with you, I haven't studied it.' Never- 
theless, he stood so well as an honest, bright student that 
he was never punished for such remarks, but his careless- 
ness, of course, cut down his average." 



CHAPTER XXXIV. 

Sherman's own words. 

Speech At a Clover Club Dinner — A Famous New England Society 
Dinner — Teaching Geography in Georgia — Speaking for the 
United States — Old Times in Ohio — At a Grand Army National 
Encampment — Why He did not March to Augusta — One of 
His Last Letters — A Story of Grant — Congratulations to 
President Harrison. 

General Sherman displayed his marked ability as a letter- 
writer early in life, as a lad at West Point. To the end of 
his days he wielded the same vigorous and trenchant pen. 
Nor was he less effective as a speaker. The graces of 
oratory, as taught in schools, he did not aspire to display. 
His eloquence was of a more impressive type than that; it 
was the eloquence of a man of action. Ideas were plenty 
in his fertile brain, and, as an omnivorous reader he had 
acquired a vast vocabulary. When he arose to speak, 
therefore, he had but one thing to do : to express his 
thoughts in words with the same directness and vigor with 
which he would, on occasion, have wrought them out in 
deeds. He was a spirited and dramatic story-teller, and 
his fund of anecdotes seemed inexhaustible. " Stage-fright" 
was of course unknown to him, though the circumstances 
of his speaking affected him much. 

Some years before his death, it is related, he was a guest 
at a Clover Club dinner, in Philadelphia. This Clover Club 
589 



590 -AT THE CLOVER CLUB'S DINNER. 

was composed of newspaper men, authors, artists, etc., and 
its ruling idea was non-formality. No guest was too emi- 
nent to be exempt from practical jokes and guying. So 
when General Sherman rose to speak, having been called 
upon, he was greeted by a storm of applause. This ap- 
plause was renewed whenever he attempted to open his 
mouth, until at last, surprised, indignant and hurt, he shut 
his teeth together like a sprung rat-trap and sat down. A 
moment later the Club struck up the tune " Marching 
Through Georgia," and they all joined in the song with a 
will. As the ringing words of that song filled the hall and 
the compliment contained in them went into the heart of 
the old warrior, he saw that the joking was all good-natured. 
He grew mellow again, and as he looked about the board 
and saw good-fellowship, good-nature and admiration in 
every countenance, the tears came to his eyes and he rose 
and made one of the best speeches that has ever been 
delivered before them. He made his speech without inter- 
ruption, and the applause which followed it at the end was 
genuine enough and not facetious. 

One of Sherman's most notable and most characteristic 
speeches was made at the dinner of the New England 
Society, in New York, on December 22d, 1886. It was as 
follows : — 

Mr. President and Gentlemen of the New England 
Society of New York. — Were I to do the proper thing, I 
would turn to my friend on the left and say amen, for he 
has drawn a glorious picture of the War, in language 
stronger than even I or my friend Schofield could dare to 
use. But looking over the Society to-night, so many young 
faces here, so many old and loved ones gone — I feel almost 
as one of your forefathers. [Laughter and applause.] 
Many and many a time have I been welcomed among you. 



THE NEW ENGLAND DINNER SPEECH. 59 1 

I came from a bloody civil war to New York in years gone 
by — twenty or twenty -one, may be — and a committee came 
to me in my room and dragged me unwillingly before the 
then New England Society of New York, and they received 
me with such hearty applause and such kindly greetings 
that my heart goes out to you now to-night as their repre- 
sentatives. [Applause.] God knows, I wish you, one and 
all, all the blessings of life, and enjoyment of the good 
things you now possess and others yet in store for you, 
young men. 

" I hope not to occupy more than a few minutes of your 
time, for last night I celebrated the same event in Brooklyn, 
and at about two or three o'clock this morning I saw this 
hall filled with lovely ladies waltzing [laughter,] and here I 
am to-night. [Renewed laughter. A voice — You're a 
rounder, General.] But I shall ever, ever recur to the early 
meetings of the New England Society, in which I shared 
with a pride and satisfaction which words will not express, 
and I hope the few words I now say will be received in the 
kindly spirit they are made in, be they what they may, for 
the call upon me is sudden and somewhat unexpected. 

" I have no toast. I am a loafer. [Laughter.] I can 
choose to say what I may — not tied by any text or formula. 
I know when you look upon old General Sherman, as yQu 
seem to call him [Oh, oh !] — pretty young yet, my friends 
— not all the devil out of me yet, and I hope still to share 
with you many a festive occasion — whenever you may 
assemble, wherever the sons of New England may 
assemble, be it here under this Delmonico roof or in Brook- 
lyn, or even in Bostcm, I will try to be there. [Applause.] 

" My friends, I have had many, many experiences, and it 
always seems to me easier to recur to some of them when 
I am on my feet, for they come back to me like the 



592 AN INCIDENT OF THE WAR. 

memory of a dream, pleasant to think of. And now to- 
nifht, I know the Civil War is uppermost in your minds, 
although I would banish it as a thing of trade, something 
too common to my calling : yet I know it pleases the 
audience to refer to little incidents here and there of the 
great Civil War, in which I took an humble part. [Applause.] 
But I remember, one day away down in Georgia, some- 
where between, I think, Milledgeville and Milan, I was 
riding on a good horse and had some friends along with 
me to keep good fellowship, you know. [Laughter.] A 
pretty humorous party, clever good fellows. [Renewed 
laughter.] Riding along, I spied a plantation. I was 
thirsty, rode up to the gate and dismounted. One of these 
men with sabres by their side, called orderlies, stood by my 
horse. I walked up on the porch, where there was an old 
gentleman, probably sixty years of age, white-haired and 
very gentle in his manners — evidently a planter of the 
higher class. I asked him if he would be kind enough to 
give me some water. He called a boy, and soon he had a 
bucket of water with a dipper. I then asked for a chair, 
and called one or two of my officers. Among them was, I 
think. Dr. John Moore, who recently has been made Sur- 
geon-General of the Army, for which I am very grateful — even 
to Mr. Cleveland. [Laughter and applause.] He sat on 
the porch, and the old man held the bucket up to me, and 
I took a long drink of water and may have lighted a cigar 
[laughter], and it is possible I may have had a little flask 
of whiskey along. [Renewed laughter.] 

" At all events, I got into a conversation ; and the troops 
drifted along, passing down the roadway closely by fours, 
and every regiment had its banner, regimental or national, 
sometimes furled and sometimes afloat. The old gentleman 
says : ' General, what troops are these passing now ? ' 



A LESSON' IN GEOGRAPHY. 593 

As the color-bearer came by, I said : " Throw out your 
colors. That is the 73d Iowa." 

" The 73d Iowa ! 73d Iowa ! Iowa ! 73d ! What do you 
mean by 73d? " 

" Well," said I, " habitually a regiment when organized, 
amounts to 1,000 men." 

" Do you pretend to say Iowa has sent 73,000 men into 
this cruel Civil War? " [Laughter.] 

" Why, my friend, I think that may be inferred." 

** Well," says he, " Where's Iowa ? " [Laughter.] 

" Iowa is a State bounded on the east by the Mississippi, 
on the South by Missouri, on the west by unknown country, 
and on the north by the North Pole." 

" Well," says he, " 73,000 men from Iowa ? You must 
have a million men," 

Says I: " I think about that." 

Presently another regiment came along. 

" What may that be ? " 

I called to the color-bearer : " Throw out your colors 
and let us see," and it was the 17th or 19th — I have for- 
gotten which — Wisconsin. 

"Wisconsin! Northwest Territory! Wisconsin! Is it 
spelled with an O or a W ? " 

" Why, we spell it now with a W. It used to be spelled 
'Ouis.'" 

" The 17th ! that makes 17,000 men ? " 

" Yes, I thmk there are a good many more than that. 
Wisconsin has sent about 30,000 men into the war." 

Then again came along another regiment from Minnesota. 

"Minnesota! My God ! where is Minnesota? [Laugh- 
ter] Minnesota ! " 

" Minnesota is away up on the sources of the Mississippi 



594 



APPRECIATING THE NORTH. 



River, a beautiful territory, too, by the way — a beautiful 
State." 

"A State?" 

" Yes, has Senators in C'"ngress, good ones, too. They're 
very fine men — very fine troops." 

" How many men has she sent to this cruel war ? " 

" Well, I don't exactly know ; somewhere between 10,000 
and 20,000 men, probably. Don't make any difference — 
all we want." [Laughter.] 

"Well," says he, "now we must have been a set of fools 
to throw down the gage of battle to a country we didn't 
know the geography of! [Laughter and applause.] When 
I went to school that was the Northwest Territory, and the 
Northwest Territory — well," says he, "we looked upon 
that as away off, and didn't know anything about it. Fact 
is, we didn't know anything at all about it." 

Said I : " My friend, think of it a moment. Down here 
in Georgia, one of the original thirteen States which formed 
this great Union of this country, you have stood fast. You 
have stood fast while the great Northwest has been grow- 
ing with a giant's growth. Iowa to-day, my friend, con- 
tains more railroads, more turnpikes, more acres of culti- 
vated land, more people, more intelligence, more schools, 
more colleges — more of everything which constitutes a 
refined and enlightened State — than the whole State of 
Georgia." 

" My God ! " says the man, " it's awful. I didn't dream 
of that" 

" Well," says I, " look here, my friend, I was once a ban- 
ker, and I have some knowledge of notes and indorsements, 
and so forth. Did you ever have anything to do with in- 
dorsements?" 



ONE MAN RECONSTRUCTED. 5^55 

Says he : " Yes, I have had my share. I have a factor 
down in Savannah, and I give my note and he indorses it 
and I get the money somehow or other. I have to pay it 
in the end, on the crop," 

" Well," says I, " now look here. In 1861, the Southern 
States had 4,000,000 slaves as property, for which the States 
of Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and so 
forth were indorsers. We were on the bond. Your slaves 
were protected by the same law which protects land and 
other property. Now, you got mad at them because they 
didn't think exactly as you did about religion and about 
that thing and t'other thing ; and like a set of fools you first 
took your bond and drew your name through the indorsers'. 
Do you know what the effect will be? You will never get 
paid for those niggers at all. [Laughter.] They are gone. 
They're free men now, 

" Well," says he, " we were the greatest set of fools that 
ever were in the world." [Laughter.] 

" And so I saw one reconstructed man in the good State 
of Georgia before I left it. [Laughter and applause.] 

" Yes, my friends, in those days things looked gloomy to 
us, but the decree came from a higher power. No pen, 
no statesman, in fact, no divine could have solved the 
riddle which bound us at that time ; nothing but the great 
God of War. And you and your fathers, your ancestors, 
if you please, of whom I profess to be one [applause], had 
to resort to the great Arbiter of Battles, and call upon Jove 
himself. And now all men in America, north and south 
and east and west, stand free before the tribunal of the 
Almighty, each man to work out his own destiny according 
to his ability, and according to his virtue, and according 
to his manhood. [Applause.] I assure you that we who 
took part in that war were kindly men, We did not wish 



596 NEW ENGLAND ANCESTRY. 

to kill. We did not wish to strike a blow. I know that I 
grieved as much as any man when I saw pain and sorrow 
and affliction among the innocent and distressed, and when 
I saw burning and desolation. But it was an incident of 
war, and was forced upon us — forced upon us by men 
influenced by a bad ambition, not by the men who owned 
those slaves, but by politicians who used that as a pretext, 
and forced you and your fathers and me and others who 
sit near me, to take up arms and settle the controversy 
once and forever. [Cries of " good," and loud applause.] 

"Now, my friends of New England, we all know what 
your ancestors are recorded to have been ; mine were of a 
kindred stock. Both my parents were from Norfolk, Conn. 
I think and feel like you. I, too, was taught the alphabet 
with blows, and all the knowledge I possessed before I 
went to West Point was spanked into me by the ferule of 
those old schoolmasters. [Laughter.] I learned my les- 
son well, and I hope that you, sons of New England, will 
ever stand by your country and its flag, glory in the achieve- 
ments of your ancestors, and forever — and to a day beyond 
forever, if necessary — giving you time to make the journey 
to your last resting-place — honor your blood, honor your 
forefathers, honor yourselves, and treasure the memories of 
those who have gone before you." [Enthusiastic applause.] 

At the New York Chamber of Commerce dinner, on 
November 20, 1888, General Sherman responded to the 
toast. " The United States — with an educated community 
and patriotic people her success will continue to be com- 
mensurate with her opportunities and her power coexten- 
sive with her vast domain." He said ; 

" Mr. President and Gentlemen — When I first received 
your invitation I felt almost overwhelmed at the idea of 
being brought into the presence of the old merchants of 



AT THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 597 

New '^''ork, who guide the destinies of your city. Every 
man who loves his country, or who professes to do so, honors 
the merchant, the far-seeing man of affairs, who takes the 
whole universe into his calculations, and brings here the 
things we need and sends forth the things that v/e can spare 
and sell, and every man who honors the merchant must 
think with pride of New York, which exercises an influence 
over civilization, I am inclined to think, second only 
to London and greater than either Paris, Vienna or Berlin. 
[Applouse.] And I believe, gentlemen, your influence will 
continue to grow — provided always that you deserve it. 
[Applause.] " 

" When I got the toast, I was somewhat startled. I didn't 
know whether to take it in its grand sense or in its minor 
sense, like the motto in the copy-book that we used to pass 
around in our school-rooms; " Be virtuous and you will be 
happy. " [Laughter.] That is a self-evident proposition, 
and so is the toast. Nevertheless, I turned to " Cosmos " 
and thought of Humboldt, and then to Burghaus, and then 
to my old friend William Gilpin. I don't knov/ whether 
you know my old friend William Gilpin, but not to know 
him is to be yourself unknown. [Laughter.] He lectured 
in London, and he proved to the satisfaction of his small 
audience that wherever he was was the centre of creation. 
[Laughter.] I rem.ember him when he lived in St. Louis — 
and of course that was the centre of the world [laughter], 
and when he moved up to Independence the world went 
with him. Finally, President Lincoln made him Governor 
of Colorado, and the centre of the world was easily trans- 
ferred to Colorado. [Laughter,} So it was to the Garden 
of the Gods, when he subsequently went there. 

" Well, he was a graduate of West Point and traveled once 
with me across this continent to San Francisco. Gentlemen, 



593 



A GROWING COUNTRY. 



did it ever strike you that when you get to San Francisco 
you are only half-way across the United States ? The 
Aleutian Islands, which we got with Alaska, extend further 
toward Asia than the continent of North America does to 
the east of San Francisco ; and that was the fact that start- 
led Gilpin. Every foot of that land, too, we have honestly 
come by. 

" As to Canada, we want no part of that, any more than 
we do of Mexico. We have enough poor land already. 
[Laughter.] Our present domain comprises about 3,700,000 
square miles, and that is bigger than the civilized domain 
of any country except Russia. In Belgium and parts of 
France the population is forty times denser than ours at 
present ; so we see what room we have to grow. I can 
remember when we used to cross the San Joaquin valley, 
twenty or thirty years ago, and thought it was a poor, mis- 
erable place, because our cattle suffered so in the passage, 
but now the land is worth there ;^ioo an acre, while I. 
wouldn't have given two cents for 1,000 acres then. 
[Laughter.] 

" But the country is grov/ing in other ways. Up here 
at Harvard, we have college youths spending ;^ 10,000 a year 
— more than the pay of a Lieutenant-General, by the way 
[laughter] — and if De Witt Clinton, who is entitled to the 
credit of building the Erie Canal, the first great artery of 
internal commerce, were to rise and look around him to-day, 
he would see many things to surprise him. Among others, 
he would be startled at the spectacle presented four years 
ago in these United States, of the election of a man to the 
Chief Magistracy and the appointment of others in his 
cabinet, representing the opposition that confronted us 
twenty years ago in the Civil War, when we 'ought to save 
the country. The people submitted to that without one 



TALKING ABOUT OHIO. 599 

single whimper. [Applause.] But they have again chosen 
a man of our own style and stamp, and I, for one, say open- 
ly that I am glad of it. [Renewed applause.] I am not 
only proud of Ben Harrison as one of our soldier-boys, 
but I am glad that in the hour of our danger he stood by 
the American flag and was true to it." 

At an Ohio Society dinner in New York, April 7, 1888, 
he made this address, on old times in his native State : 

" My young friends from Ohio, whilst you bear your 
honored State in memory, honored memory, never reflect 
upon others. [Laughter.] There were good men born long 
before they were in Ohio. [Renewed laughter.] There 
are a great many good men born in other States out of 
Ohio. [Continued laughter.] I have encountered them 
everywhere on this broad continent and in Europe. There 
seems to be a pretty fair representation of Ohio in this great 
city of New York, and I claim you have the same right 
here as the nativ^e-born citizens [laughter], not by suffer- 
ance but by right; and I hope you will bear in mind that 
you are citizens of a greater country, the United States of 
America. [Loud applause.] As your president has well 
told you in eloquent words to-night, our friends in Marietta 
are celebrating a past of vast importance in the history of 
Ohio, and the United States, and of all mankind. One hun- 
dred years ago there landed at Marietta that little body 
whose influence was then felt and is now felt all over the 
earth's surface; an organized body of men with discipline, 
seeking to make homes for themselves and their families 
and to rear up a State, free, where all men could enjoy 
liberty and the pursuit of happiness in their own way and 
at their own time. Ohio was the first of the States created ; 
not the first of the thirteen, but it was the child of the 
Revolution, although the ordinance of 1787 preceded the 



6oO ^^^ TIMES AT LANCASTER, 

Constitution by two years. Yet it was made by the same 
men, breathing the same spirit of freedom and nationality. 

" I was born in the town of Lancaster, and I doubt if any 
town anywhere possessed a larger measure of intelligence 
for its numbers, about 3,000. There was General Beecher, 
Henry Stanbury, Thomas Ewing, William Irvine, [A voice 
— " Tom Corwin."] Yes ; he belonged in Lebanon, and I 
knew him well. His name suggests to me something which 
I am frequently reminded of when I go to Ohio. Li these 
modern times I don't think they're as good as they used to 
be in those early days. I suppose it is a common weak- 
ness with old men to view things in that way. I could 
recount a great many things about those early days. My 
mem.ory goes back to 1826, I remember perfectly the 
election of General Jackson in 1828. I remember the 
coffin handbills put out by TJie Cincinnati Gazette to 
stigmatize Armstrong and Arbuthnot. At that time I 
belonged to a strict Whig family, and we all thought 
Jackson a tyrant. I have come to the conclusion in later 
years that old Jackson was a very clever fellow. There 
used to be a man in Columbus named Gustavus Swain, 
and what he didn't know about Ohio nobody did. Ohio 
had its fun and its serious times, and always bore in mind 
that they were the first free State northwest of the Ohio. 
Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota followed after- 
ward by catching the inspiration from her. [Applause.] It 
travelled beyond. I went with McCook to Arizona and 
found our fellows there from Yellow Creek. Everywhere 
we stopped we met them. They didn't know they were from 
Ohio, but he convinced them they were. [Laughter.] 

" My own father was Judge of the Supreme Court in 
Ohio when he died in Lebanon, and ' Tom ' Corwin was 
witn him then. I remember perfectly well how we were 



TO HIS OLD COMRADES. 6oi 

all cast down by the news of his death, sudden and unex- 
pected, with eleven children and a salary of ^$300 to bring 
them up on. How that task was ever accomplished I 
don't know. [Laughter.] You see some of us are still 
alive. [Renewed laughter.] I am one of those living who, 
owing to the kindness of his father, stand before you to- 
night as representative of the State of Ohio. [Applause.] 
Vive la bagatelle. Enjoy the hour. Take the world as 
you find it. It will grow vast enough, but I don't know 
whether it will grow better." [Applause.] 

One of his last speeches was made before his Grand 
Army comrades, at their National Encampment at Milwau- 
kee, August 28, 1889. "Boys," he said, "my speaking 
days are over. I am not going to make any more speeches. 
If you want a speech, take Senator Manderson. I think he 
can make a good speech. I am always glad to see so many 
soldiers looking hearty and healthy. I think we can stand 
on our legs yet. I like to see that our old Uncle Sam takes 
pretty good care of these old soldiers. Uncle Sam cannot 
make old men young, but he can make young men just as 
good as you or I ever were. I see that Milwaukee is full of 
them, and they are coming out of the bushes everywhere. 
If you think you are the only old soldiers, you are mis- 
taken. There were old soldiers before you, and there will 
be again. Such is the providence of the world. Just as 
good men were born a thousand years ago and w^ill be born 
a thousand years hence. All we have to do is to do our 
parts in this short period of life honorably and honestly. 
I think we can pass the grand tribunal and say, ' We have 
tried to do our best,' and the sentence will be, ' Well done.' 

" We have passed through one crisis of our country's his- 
tory. I don't see any chance of another, but nobody knows 
the future. Bring up your children to love and venerate the 



6o2 Pf^^y AUGUSTA WAS SPARED. 

old soldiers who fought in 1861 and 1865, and make them 
uncover their heads when they see that little banner that 
you followed in the days which tried us to the utmost. Let 
us venerate that flag and love our country and love each 
other, and stand by each other, as long as we have heads 
on our shoulders and legs on our bodies. These old soldiers 
who marched against the enemy in those trying days, a 
greateful country tries its best to assist, and will, I think — 
in fact, I am sure — be good to you when you get too old, 
all that is necessary. But keep young as long as you can, 
and do not go into a soldiers' home if you can help it." 

At about this time he wrote to the editor of The Chroftick, 
at Augusta, Georgia, this letter, in reply to the question 
why he did not, on his great march through Georgia, go 
to that city instead of Savannah : 

"My Dear Sir: I am just back from a visit to my 
daughter, who resides at Rosemont, near Philadelphia, and 
find your letter of the iSth. 

" The ' March to the Sea,' from Atlanta was resolved on 
after Hood had got well on his way to Nashville. I then 
detached to General Thomas a force sufficient to whip 
Hood, which he, in December, 1864, very handsomely and 
conclusively did. Still I had left a very respectable army, 
and resolved to join Grant at Richmond. The distance 
was 1,000 miles, and prudence dictated a base at Savannah 
or Port Royal. Our enemies had garrisons at Macon and 
Augusta. I figured on both and passed between to Savan- 
nah. Then starting northward, the same problem presented 
itself in Augusta and Charleston. I figured on both, but 
passed between. I did not want to drive out their garrisons 
ahead of me at the crossings of the Santee, Catawba, Pedee, 
Cape Fear, etc. The moment I passed Columbia the fac- 
tories, powder mills and the old stuff accumulated at Augusta 



ffIS LAST CORRESPONDENCE. 603 

were lost to the only two Confederate armies left — Lee's cind 
Hood's. So if you have a military mind, you will see I 
made a better use of Augusta than if I had captured it with 
all its stores, for which I had no use. I used Augusta twice 
as a buffer; its garrison was just where it helped me. If 
the people of Augusta think I slighted them in the winter 
of i864-'65 by reason of personal friendship formed in 1844, 
they are mistaken; or if they think I made a mistake in 
strategy, let them say so, and with the President's consent 
I think I can send a detachment of 100,000 or so of * Sher- 
man's bummers ' and their descendants, who w'ill finish up 
the job without charging Uncle Sam a cent. The truth is, 
these incidents come back to me in a humorous vein. Of 
course the Civil War should have ended with Vicksburg and 
Gettysburg. Every sensible man on earth must have then 
seen there could be but one result. The leaders, of the 
South took good care not to * die in the lost ditch/ and 
left brave men like Walker, Adams, Pat Clebourne, etc., to 
do that. Yours truly, W. T. Sherman." 

One of the last letters he ever wrote was as follows : 

" No. 75 West Seventy-first Street, N. Y. 

Thursday February 5, 1891, 
E. J. Atkinson, Esq., Secretary Memorial Committee, G.A.R. 

" Dear Sir: — Your communication inviting me to share 
in your memorial services of Decoration Day, May 30, 1891, 
is received. I hereby accept and have marked my engage- 
ment book accordingly, so that I may not fall into the error 
of two years ago, which actually compromised me. 

" The only probable interference is in the unveiling of 
General Grant's equestrian statue in Lincoln Park, Chicago, 
on a day not yet determined, when I must attend as Presi- 
dent of the Society of the Army of the Tennessee. This 



6o4 DIGGING UP TORPEDOES. 

unveiling was to have occurred in October, 1890, was post- 
poned to this spring by reason of a failure in the casting, 
and I believe it will not be ready till this autumn. There- 
fore I beg you to remind me parly in May, 1891, of this, 
my promise. Sincerely yours, W. T. Sherman." 

When General Beauregard wrote a letter accusing him 
of cruel practices, in requiring prisoners of war to dig up 
torpedoes which the Rebel army had planted, Sherman 
made no reply ; but some time later he said to a friend : 

" I did not take any notice of Beauregard's letter. He is 
a very clever gentleman, and I like him personally ; but 
he is wrong in his ideas of civilized warfare. It was no new 
thing to require prisoners to remove torpedoes which had 
been buried by the enemy. Wellington did it in Spain, 
and history furnishes a number of similar instances. I was 
justified not only by the rules of war but also by the best of 
humane principles. In the first instance where I had 
prisoners to perform such service, we were near a little 
town about forty miles from Savannah, The name of the 
place escapes me just now. News was brought to me that 
a gallant young officer had been frightfully wounded and 
his horse killed by the explosion of a torpedo buried by the 
rebels in the middle of the road. I filed my army to the 
right and flanked that part of the road where the explosives 
were supposed to be planted. The wagon trains had to 
pass over the dangerous ground, however, and I knew that 
the tramping of the mules and the heavy weight of the 
loaded wagons would surely explode any torpedoes which 
had been planted. I ordered a detail of prisoners to be sent 
ahead of the train, and with picks and shovels to dig up all 
explosives that could be found. It was not to protect my 
soldiers that I did this, but to save my train. My army 
had already obviated the danger by a right flank, and was 



A STORY OF GRANT. 



605 



safely out of harm's way. Prisoners should be protected, 
but mercy is not a legitimate attribute of war. Men goto 
war to kill and get killed, if necessary, and they should ex- 
pect no tenderness. Each side protects itself as far as pos' 
sible, and does all the harm it can to the opposing forces. 
It was, I think, a much better show of mercy for me to have 
the enemy do this work than to subject my own soldiers to 
so frightful a risk. At McAllister, when I made Major 
Anderson remove the torpedoes that had been planted 
there, he pretended that it was not civilized war to make him 
perform such a perilous feat. I told him he knew where 
the torpedoes were, and could safely remove them, while 
my men, in hunting for them, would be blown to pieces. 
He replied that the engineer had planted them, and he did 
not know where they were. I told him he knew better how 
to locate them than I did, and therefore he should do it. 
The fact that every torpedo was found and safely removed 
showed that my reasoning was right. I am not afraid to 
be judged either by contemporary or future historians on 
this subject." 

The following anecdote of Grant was told, and illustrated 
with exquisite humor, by Sherman at a dinner: — 

" Grant and I were at Nashville, Tenn., after the battle 
of Chattanooga. Our quarters were in the same building. 

" One day Grant came into the room that I used for an 
office. I was very busy, surrounded svitn papers, muster- 
rolls, plans, specifications, etc., etc. When I looked up 
from my work I saw he seemed a good deal bothered, and, 
after standing around awhile, with his shoulders thrown up 
and his hands deep down in his trousers pockets, he said: 

" ' Look here, there are some men here from Galena.* 

" ' Well ? ' I said. 
. " Looking more uncomfortable every minute he went on: 



/ 

6o6 A STORY OP GRANT. 

" ' They've got a sword they want to give me,' and, look- 
ing over his shoulder and jerking his thumb in the same 
direction, he added : 

" * Will you come in ? ' 

" He looked quite frightened at the idea of going to face 
them alone, so I put some weights on my several piles of 
papers to keep them from blowing around and went into 
the next room, followed by Grant, who by this time looked 
as he might if he'd been going to be court-martialed. There 
we found the Mayor and some members of the Board of 
Councilmen of Galena. On a table in the middle of the 
room v/as a handsome rosewood box containing a magnifi- 
cent gold-hilted sword, with all the appointments equally 
splendid. 

" The Mayor stepped forward and delivered what was 
evidently a carefully prepared speech, setting forth that the 
citizens of Galena had sent him to present to General Grant 
the accompanying sword, not as a testimonial to his great- 
ness as a soldier, but as a slight proof of their love and 
esteem for him as a man, and their pride in him as a fellow- 
citizen. 

" After delivering the speech the Mayor produced a large 
parchment scroll, to which was attached by a long blue 
ribbon a red seal as big as a pancake, and on which was 
inscribed a set of complimentary resolutions. These he 
proceeded to read to us, not omitting a single ' whereas ' or 
' hereunto.' And after finishing the reading he rolled it up 
and with great solemnity and ceremony handed it to Grant. 

" General Grant took it, looked ruefully at it and held it 
as if it burnt him. Mrs. Grant, who had been standing 
beside her husband, quietly took it from him, and there was 
dead silence for several minutes. Then Grant, sinking his 
head lower on his chest and* hunching his shoulders up 



HARRISON VOUCHED FOR. 607 

higher and looking thoroughly miserable, began hunting 
in his pockets, diving first in one and then in another, and 
at last said: 'Gentlemen, I knew you were coming here 
to give me this sword, and so I prepared a short speech,' 
and with a look of relief he drew from his trousers pocket 
a crooked, crumpled piece of paper and handed it to the 
Mayor of Galena, adding, 'and, gentlemen, here it is ! '" 

When General Harrison was elected President, Sherman 
was called on for a speech at the Union League Club, New 
York, and responded thus: 

" I am not, and never have been, and never will be, a 
politician ; but I take a deep and lively interest in every- 
thing which occurs in this country. [Cheers.] I see 
yonder flag and beneath it the picture of one of my old, 
favorite soldiers, one who learned many lessons under my 
leadership. I know that he was true as steel then. I be- 
lieve he will be to the end. fCheers.] As a father loves 
to see his children advance in the scale of life, so I rejoice 
to hear of t\.2 good fortune of my old soldiers. I remember 
General Harrison when he was a colonel. He is not natur- 
ally a military man. His grandfather was, and I remember 
his grandfather when he was living down at North Bend, 
below Cincinnati. I knew his father. I was once at the 
old farm at North Bend, and saw little Ben in his panta- 
lettes. [Laughter and cheers.] Now he has become 
great. He is the impersonation of a cause. He is the 
impersonation of the ruling spirit of America for the next 
four years, and of its policy, according to Mr. Depew, for 
the next twenty-five years." 



H' 191 79 



^ji 











A 







'4^ v-^ 







^..^- ;^: 














■^ •:^^. 



Oi? o 



o V 



^^--^^ 



^>^^ %,^ ^/^^m-, \/ .•;^^;;, % ^^^ . 







